The Republican primary is basically a four-way tie now


Donald Trump's national lead has dwindled to almost nothing at all, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll out Tuesday. Trump leads with only 30 percent of likely Republican primary voters nationally, with Ted Cruz right on his heels at 27 percent. John Kasich is not far behind, at 22 percent, and Marco Rubio is last and only 10 points behind Trump, at 20 percent.
The poll also finds that Trump was the preferred pick for 36 percent of Republican primary voters in states that have already voted. In the states that have yet to vote, the competition is a lot tighter, with Trump at 27 percent followed by Cruz at 25 percent, Kasich at 24 percent, and Rubio at 23 percent.
The poll also found that if the race becomes a one-on-one between Trump and any of the other three Republicans, Trump's opponent would have a leg up. Even in a hypothetical matchup against Rubio, Trump would lose 56 to 43 percent.
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The survey of 397 Republican primary voters lasted Thursday through Sunday, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.92 percent.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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