New poll shows Trump far ahead among New Hampshire GOP voters

With three months remaining before primary votes are cast, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump continues to dominate the Republican race in New Hampshire.

A new Suffolk University/ Boston Globe Poll found 22 percent of likely Republican voters in the Granite State put Trump on top as their choice for the GOP nomination for president.

The rest of the field remains far behind Trump, with the closest contender being Florida Sen. Marco Rubio with 11 percent, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 10 percent; tied at nine percent are Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is polling at eight percent, while New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and business woman Carly Fiorina are tied at four percent.

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul remains behind at three percent.

The poll was conducted by the Suffolk University Political Research Center, which surveyed likely Republican voters in the upcoming New Hampshire primary.

Suffolk University Political Research Center Director David Paleologos told PBS NewsHour that Trump’s “loyal 22 percent goes a long way in New Hampshire.”

“As long as the remaining 78 percent is split relatively evenly among the six or seven major contenders, we’re getting close to ‘Trump-mate’ in the Granite State,” he said.

Terrorism and national security is also emerging as a key issue in the race in the wake of the Nov. 13 attacks in France, according to those surveyed.

When asked to name the most important issue facing the country right now, 42 percent said terrorism and national security ranked highest. Jobs and the economy followed with 18 percent and illegal immigration was next at 12 percent.

One quarter of those polled said Trump was best equipped to handle the American response to the Islamic State. Rubio came in second on that question at 13 percent, followed by Cruz at 11 percent and Bush at 10 percent.

The likely voters were also asked which of the GOP candidates had the best chance to beat out the Democratic nominee. Trump finished first with 31 percent and Rubio came in second with 16 percent. All other candidates were in single digits.

“The Rubio thread runs deep throughout the poll. If you look at who is in the top three when it comes to favorability, first choice, second choice, trust, or best chance of winning in the general election, Rubio is the only candidate who meets all of those tests,” Paleologos said.