Polls continue to show real estate mogul Donald Trump solidifying his lead in the GOP presidential race, but most Americans are worried about what would happen if he wins.
According to the latest nationwide poll from the New York Times and CBS News, Trump received support from 35% of Republicans surveyed.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas finished second with 16%, while Ben Carson’s numbers continued to shrink to 13%. Carson led the group’s October poll, but Trump is now on top with his biggest lead yet after posting similarly impressive numbers in other recent surveys.
But Trump’s popularity comes at a time when his heightened rhetoric also seems to be scaring a large number of American voters. The Times/CBS poll found that nearly two-thirds of Americans are either concerned or frightened over the prospect of a Trump presidency (including one-third of Republicans surveyed).
A Trump campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to Coins2Day’s request for comment on the poll.
CBS notes that most of the interviews for its poll occurred before Trump’s recently proposed Muslin travel ban, which has been met with a wave ofcriticism from both sides of the political aisle. As Coins2Day has reported, the plan could also cost the U.S. Travel industry billions of dollars and could even harm Trump’s own business interests.
The poll also found that more than half of the surveyed voters are either concerned or scared about the prospect of Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton occupying the White House. According to the poll, Clinton continues to enjoy a 20-point lead over Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
With the first primary votes still more than seven weeks away, it’s still early in election cycle, and many voters have yet to make up their minds. The poll found that more than half of Democrats have already decided on a candidate to back in next year’s election, but 64% of Republicans remain unsure.