Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) are in a dead heat in California among GOP primary voters, a new poll released Tuesday finds.
Cruz has 25 percent support to Trump’s 23 percent, an edge within the 3.5 percent margin of error in the Field Research Corporation survey.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) ranks third, trailing both men by double-digit, with 13 percent. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is fourth, with 9 percent, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) rounds out the top five, with 6 percent.
{mosads}Cruz though has a stronger edge on Trump when voters are asked for their second choice candidate.
47 percent said Cruz was their first or second choice, while 34 percent picked Trump, a 13-point lead for the Texas senator. Rubio is the first or second choice of 27 percent of voters, with Carson trailing at 16 percent and Paul at 10 percent.
Trump is also viewed less favorably than Cruz, Rubio, Carson and Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.).
About 51 percent view the billionaire favorably, versus 45 percent who see him unfavorably and 4 percent with no opinion.
Cruz leads the GOP pack with 69 percent favorable, 20 percent unfavorable and 11 percent no opinion.
Rubio follows with 61 percent favorable, 26 percent unfavorable and 13 percent with no opinion.
Carson is third with 60 percent favorable, while Christie has a 52 percent favorable rating, edging out Trump by a single point.
Trump holds a wide lead over Cruz nationally, with a 16 point edge in the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls. Cruz has the momentum in Iowa, though, leading Trump by about 4 percent there.
The Field Research Corporation surveyed 325 likely GOP presidential primary voters in California Dec. 16–Jan. 3. The poll has a 5.6 percent margin of error.