2016 Presidential Polls: Donald Trump’s Lead Growing Nationwide, Hillary Clinton Leads Huge In South Carolina
The South Carolina primary is quickly approaching, and some think that it’s already in the bag for both parties. For the past month, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have had huge leads in the state, and it’s expected that both will continue through the primary on Feb. 20 (R) and Feb. 27 (D). Some have begun to wonder though if Clinton’s lead can stay strong in the 2016 presidential polls as Donald Trump’s nationwide margin is widening.
As of Thursday evening, Hillary Clinton held a commanding lead in South Carolina with 53 percent of the vote while Bernie Sanders was in a distant second place with 31 percent. Of course, anything can happen before the state’s primary, but it will be hard for anyone to overcome her lead.
According to Bloomberg, Clinton does hold a commanding lead in South Carolina which is due in huge part to the 3-1 advantage she has among African-America voters. While this seems good for the immediate primary, it could end up being a problem for Clinton in the future.
Even though Clinton leads in South Carolina, polling in Nevada shows that Sanders could very well overtake her lead for the caucus on Feb. 20. White voters in South Carolina already favor Sanders 45 percent to 42 percent and that could raise an issue for Clinton as time goes on.
J. Ann Selzer runs the firm that conducted this recent poll, and she has said that Sanders hasn’t faded, but Clinton simply held a big lead already. Still, voters for Clinton can’t feel so sure anymore.
“If you’re Clinton and you’ve just come out of a crushing defeat in New Hampshire and there’s Bernie-mania everywhere with younger people, your footing isn’t that sure. There’s nothing to sneer at in terms of how Bernie Sanders is doing.”
On the other side of things, Donald Trump isn’t just holding a commanding lead in the South Carolina polls, but it is strengthening. Not just that, but his nationwide lead is growing and growing, according to CNN, and it’s believed that Trump-mania is catching on everywhere.
This week has been big as South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has put full endorsement behind Marco Rubio. Trump has also had a bit of a public spat with the Pope, and well, that hasn’t necessarily fallen on deaf ears.
Response to the Pope:https://t.co/iWDjTIQyhE
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2016
These things could very well affect the outcome of the South Carolina primary in the Republican Party, but some find it hard to believe that Trump can be caught. His lead is huge just two days prior and it doesn’t seem as if it’s lessening in any sense of the word.
It’s not just in the Palmetto State either as Donald Trump is leading nationally with 34 percent of the support while Cruz sits at 21 percent. Marco Rubio is behind them with 16 while John Kasich has 9 percent and Ben Carson has 6 percent to round out the top five.
Before the Iowa caucuses, Trump had a two-point higher lead while Cruz has gained two and Rubio has gained five. Kasich has been the biggest riser in the past two months, but he may be too far behind to really make up so much ground.
The 2016 presidential polls are beginning to show things a lot clearer now, and after the South Carolina primaries, it will be bit more solid. If Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton both win, then one would think that they are both on the straight track to the nominations, but reports believe it will be good for Trump and still shaky ground for Clinton.
[Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
