Fourth poll shows Trump with double-digit lead

Donald Trump has a double-digit lead over his next-closest competitor in the race for the GOP presidential nomination, according to a Fox News poll released late Monday.

{mosads}Trump takes 26 percent support in the poll, followed by Jeb Bush at 15 percent.

JUST IN: Final Fox News Poll before this week’s debate shows Trump & Bush only candidates in double digits. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/vkeH79RcA2

— Shepard Smith (@ShepNewsTeam) August 3, 2015

When Fox asked the same question in mid-July, Trump had only a small lead over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. At the time, he took 18 percent support, compared to 15 percent for Walker and 14 percent for Bush.

It’s the fourth poll in recent weeks to show Trump with a double-digit lead nationally. According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls on Monday, Trump leads the next closest contender, Bush, by 9.8 points.

Walker is in third place in the Fox News poll, taking 9 percent support, followed by Ben Carson at 7 percent, and Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, each at 6 percent.

Rounding out the top 10 are Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Rand Paul (Ky.) at 6 percent, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, each at 3 percent.

Fox News is capping the first Republican presidential debate on Thursday at 10 candidates, based on national polling numbers. The media outlet hasn’t disclosed which polls it will use, but it seems likely Fox would use its own.

That’s good news for Christie and Kasich, who have consistently finished in the top 10 in recent polls and appear to be well-positioned to nab the final two spots on the debate stage Thursday night.

Fox News is also hosting a forum earlier in the day for the candidates who don’t make the prime-time debate cut.

Businesswoman Carly Fiorina, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Sen. Lindsey Graham and former Sen. Rick Santorum who won the Iowa caucuses in 2012, are among those who appear to be on the outside looking in for the main event.

Thirteen candidates will participate in a C-SPAN forum on Monday night in New Hampshire.

The C-SPAN forum was announced in mid-July and touted by its media outlet sponsors as a more inclusive alternative to the first Republican debate.

C-SPAN invited all of the 16 Republicans who had announced at the time. Only Trump, Huckabee and Paul will not attend.