Poll: Trump holds double-digit lead in NH

Businessman Donald Trump has opened his biggest lead in the early voting state of New Hampshire, holding a two-to-one lead over his nearest 2016 GOP White House competitor, according to a new Monmouth University poll.

{mosads}Nearly a quarter of likely primary voters support Trump, 24 percent, compared with 12 percent for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker each attracted 7 percent support.

Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie follow in the poll, released Tuesday.

Trump maintains a double-digit lead among voters who identify as very conservative, somewhat conservative and with the Tea Party. Walker is his nearest competitor in most of those metrics.

Among those who listed a second-choice preference, Trump, with 8 percent, ties with Rubio and Christie. They trail Bush and Walker, with 10 percent each.

An NBC News/Marist poll released over the weekend found Trump with 21 percent of potential GOP primary voters in the Granite State, followed by Bush (14 percent), Walker (12 percent) and Kasich (7 percent).

Taken together, Trump has seemingly weathered comments mocking Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) war record that were blasted by fellow candidates and national Republicans.

The latest poll of 467 New Hampshire voters likely to vote in the GOP primary was conducted July 23-26 via landlines and cellphones with a margin of error of 4.5 points.