Washington

Cruz, Rubio Most Likely to Benefit From Carson’s Exit, Polling Shows

Cruz suspended his campaign on Tuesday night. (Rob Kunzig/Morning Consult)

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson announced Wednesday he plans to end his campaign for the Republican nomination for president, and the two senators in the race stand to gain the most from his exit, according to Morning Consult polling data.

Twenty-nine percent of voters said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was their second choice for the nomination, with 25 percent opting for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Front-running business mogul Donald Trump was the second choice for 19 percent of respondents, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich got the nod from 8 percent of voters.

Related: Voters Like Carson, Sanders as Potential VP Picks

Demographic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
Likely Voters494434494434494434484434484535484535484535484435494435494335494435494435494435484435484435494435494335484435484435484534494434484435484435494435494435494435484435494335494335494335494335504235504334514234514234504235504235504235504235504235514235514235514234504234504235504235504235504235504235504235504225504225504324514234504334514234514234514234504235504334504235514234504234514234504235504235504235514235504234504235504235504235504235504235514235504235504235514235514235514235504235514325514235514235504334504324504324504324514224514225514235514235514225514225514324514324514324504334514324514225514225514324514324514324524224514324524224514324524324524224524224514324514324514424504324514324514324514324514324514324514324514324504424504324504424514324514424514324514324514324514324514324514324514324514324514424514324514424514324514424514424514424514324514424514424
Democrats90523905229062290522906229052290622915229052391523905229052289523895239052391523914239052390523906229062290622905239052390523905229152291522915229162290622915239152291422914229142291522915229242392422924229252291522925229152391522905239052290523915139241392413924229242292422925129251292522925229251292512924129152292522925229251292512925129151292512915139251291512915139151391512915129251292412924129151392512925129251292512915129161292512925129251292512925129251292512925129251292512925129251292512934129441194412934129351292612935029360193511935029350293402935129351292512925129351293512935129251292512925129251292512925129350293502935019351293511935129341293412934129340293402934029351293512926129350293512935129351293512
Independents4339810424089433999424089433981143397114438711443871144387114240612433961243406114439611424061242406114240711433881044388104439711434061144387114338711433871142407114339710433871243367134336713433781344377124438612453861146386104637610473761047366114835611473661148356104835711493471046367114537710453771046358114535812453681144377124537612443671345367114636711463761146366114537711453771145377114536711453671146368114734711473581047367104636810463581145369114536910463681047358104734811473481246347124634712463581147347124734712473471246368114536811453771145377114537611463671245367124636711473661048356104736710453871045377104536811483571147367114636612453771146367114737710463671145377114536712453671246367114836794936794935694835611483661047376104737510473751048365104737610483761047386104737610463861048375104838594738510473861048376104936694737610453861045386114638610473851048375104837610473661048376104935610493561047366114638610463861047385949385949375948385104739594539610473861046395104738510
Republicans78912789137891368913690136901369113690127901278913690136901369013691126911269013690136901369013690137901379013790136901379013690136901379013789138881478814788137891378913888137891378913788147881378913789138881388813789138881388813788137881378913789136901379013789137891378912888138881388813789137891378913789137881378913788137881478913789137891378813888138881388813789137891378913689137891378913789137891378913888138891388813789137891378913889137891378813788138871488813888138891388813789137891378913790136901279012790127891378913789138881388813889128881388912790037900279013790137901379013690136901369013790127901269012690127901279012790137901279002791026921269212692126911269112790126911279012790127901279012790027911279112
Gen Zers552810753319751331075231108523089572878582778622486592777582868563078592688602677602389552791054288105330895727795925886226665928765629785627895627895727795826696124696324586127675927775927776026785927776026766125866223786123886123886322876323776422776025776323866025875925885825796024896025875926785927786025696225576523666522766422866224776522676820666920666623656423666323875924107602497612497652087622396642386612586632386612586622486612577602587612488602488622378622477652276652276662275672265642376622378612388642278662176672166672265662356652456642456642457642546612946593056583066622667622766622765622666642655672355642655622747592938632737662446692245682236682336662546642645632755632756632745642845632845652744622945632944622855652555662247652348632747632836613044632854662644662644682336672246672356652465642664632854652744642735642735652735652645662545632755642835
Millennials523945533944543654533854523955513945504145504145514144534034533945533934523945514135524035504054514044514054523945524044523944504055503955503956523855523855513956523856523855543745533845543835553744563644553644563645553645543646523945533845553645563545553645533745523746523756533755523855523845523946533835543835563734563644543834553744543944553844523944523845543745553744563644563644553644533845533845533845543745533845533845523945533845543844533845533845543745533845513955514045514045533845523945533845514045514145514234534034543934543845543745553645553545563545553735543844524044524044514045533945523935533945533934543934543934534034543934563834563724563734553834543834543934533934543844543844543934544033534034543944533934533934533944543844553734553834543934544024534034544034543934543934543934533934524135514234524135534034544034544034543934543944553844544034534133
Gen Xers464734464734454735454735454645464635484435484336484436474436464635474535454636454735454835474634484534474635464635474635474625484425494425504324494525484525464625454726454736454636474526494326524125524025524125484435484534474535494434484435484535484435464635464725454824484535494435504235504226494335494434494334494435484435484525484435484435484435474535464635454636474525484435494435484435464535494435494435494335484435474535464725464725484525494325484525474625474525484425484426484525474525494425494425504335494425494524494424504325494335494335494425504325494425494435494435494425484525484525484425484525484525494424504424514324504324514325494425494524484625514414514414504514504614494614494614504514504524494524494524494524484624474724474724484624474724474714494624504424504424494624494623484723484723484723484614494615494614484624474714474814474715474715474625474725
Baby Boomers484714494524494624484624474824464824474824464824474724474724484614474714484625474724484624484614494524474724474724464824474724474824474824474824474824474724474724494524494425494425484525484625474724474724484724484624484614484615494514494624494524494524504424514424524324514424494524484625484525494425504414494514484614494524494524494524494524494624494514494524504424504424494524494524494624504415494515494514494624504524504425504325504325504424504424494424504424504424504424514424504424504514504524504514504514504514494514484614484624494524494524494524494624494514494614494614504424504424514424514414514414514423504513504514514414514414504514494614494614504514484624484624484624494524484515494615494525504514504514504514504514514514504613504514484614504514504513514414504514504514504514504514504514494514514414514413524413514513514513514513514513514513504513514513514513

Morning Consult asked 3,040 registered Republican and Republican-leaning independent voters, including 304 Ben Carson supporters, for their first and second choice in the Republican presidential primary across three separate national polls conducted since February 24. The margin of error was plus or minus 6 percentage points.

Morning Consult