Trump up 9 points in South Carolina: poll

The day before the South Carolina primary, Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump leads the GOP field by 9 points, according to a new Clemson University Palmetto Poll released on Friday.

{mosads}The poll shows the real estate mogul with 28 percent support in the state, followed by Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), with 19 percent, and Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), with 15 percent support.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush places fourth, with 10 percent support, followed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich, with 9 percent, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, with 6 percent.

Thirteen percent of respondents said they are still undecided.

The poll’s findings are consistent with several others that have Trump in the top position, followed by Cruz and Rubio in a close contest for second.

The October version of the Palmetto Poll found Trump in the lead, with 23 percent support.

Rubio, who has received a bevy of endorsements from prominent South Carolina politicians, including Gov. Nikki Haley, is the favorite runner-up candidate, with 23 percent of respondents saying they would choose him if their first option weren’t available.

The Palmetto Poll surveyed 650 Republicans who voted in two of the last three state primary elections beginning on Feb. 14. It has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.