Donald Trump has retained a massive lead over his two Republican rivals in the New York primary with days to go before voting, an NBC 4 New York/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll has found.
Fifty-four percent of Republican voters surveyed said they were planning to vote for Trump on Tuesday, with a 29-point gulf between him and his closest rival, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, the poll found. The same percentage of voters said they were going to vote for Trump in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll released on Monday, which pollsters say indicates the political landscape has not changed much since candidates began campaigning heavily in the Empire State.
Trump led the field regardless of region, age, gender, religion, education and income among likely Republican voters polled.
Kasich has seen a slight uptick in the week leading up to the election. In Monday's poll, the Ohio governor had the support of 21 percent of surveyed voters; in Friday's poll, that number had climbed to 25 percent. Friday's poll had a 5.5-point margin of error.
Cruz, who drew jeers for his comments about "New York values" earlier in the campaign and was apparently ignored at a GOP dinner in Manhattan Thursday, has the most ground to gain. Only 16 percent of voters said they supported Cruz, down from 18 percent in Monday's poll.
Kasich also was the leading second choice for likely Republican voters, according to the poll. Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed said they'd probably cast a ballot for Kasich if they changed their mind, compared with 30 percent for Cruz and 14 percent for Trump.
However, more than half of those polled say they're not likely to change their choice between now and Tuesday. The poll found that 64 percent of the 313 Republicans polled strongly supported their chosen candidate. Trump had the most committed support, with 70 percent of his supporters saying they will not waver in their commitment to him.
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The release of the poll comes after more than a week of stops and rallies for Trump, Kasich and Cruz. On Thursday, Trump made an appearance near the site of a hate-crime killing on Long Island amid protests, then flew to the New York State Republican Gala. He, Kasich and Cruz all spoke at the event.
Prior to that, the three candidates had made stops throughout the Empire State, with Cruz and Kasich visiting matzo bakeries in New York City. Cruz, who was shouted at by a protester during his first stop at a restaurant in the Bronx, has made the fewest appearances in the state.
On Thursday, a NBC 4 New York/Wall Street Journal/Marist showed Hillary Clinton leading Bernie Sanders among likely Democratic voters.
