Elon Poll: Carson Opens Wider Lead Over Trump In GOP Primary

Presidential contender Ben Carson now has a double-digit lead over his nearest competitor among North Carolina Republicans, according to a new Elon University poll released Thursday.

Nearly a third of North Carolina Republicans say they would vote for Carson in the state's primary. Donald Trump comes in second at 19 percent, with Marco Rubio in third with ten percent.

Among state Democrats, Hillary Clinton has expanded her lead over Bernie Sanders, taking 57 percent of the vote compared to Sanders' 24 percent.

According to Elon Poll director Kenneth Fernandez, when you look at head-to-head matchups for the general election, there are a few interesting data points.

Clinton loses in tight races against both Carson and Rubio, although she easily handles Trump.

“I think she's probably rooting for Trump, secretly, to win the primary race,” Fernandez said. “Carson, though, he seems to be one of the few people who can beat Clinton in these hypothetical matchups.”

The survey is also shedding some light on the 2016 race for governor.

In a hypothetical match-up between likely Democratic nominee Roy Cooper and Gov. Pat McCrory, Cooper leads by five percentage points.

Fernandez says previous polls measuring the race have shown it to be a close one, but McCrory always came out on top.

“This is the first time we've seen Cooper actually take the lead,” Fernandez said. “It could be an anomaly, it could be some negative publicity that's been in the media regarding Pat McCrory. It's very difficult to know.”

Fernandez says he expects both men to win their party nominations, and he also thinks the race will be close.

Still, with the primaries months away, and the general election a year away, there's a lot of time for these numbers to change.