Polls: Trump, Clinton still leading in SC primaries | McClatchy Washington Bureau

Five new polls out Thursday show New York billionaire Donald Trump holding his lead in Saturday’s S.C. Republican presidential primary.

Trump averaged 32 percent support from likely voters in the GOP primary, according to the five polls. Trump’s support ranged from a low of 29 percent to a high of 34 percent, according to the polls.

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are battling for second place, with both at 17 percent, according to an average of the polls. Four of the polls had Cruz in second. However, S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed Rubio Wednesday night, too late to be reflected in the polling results.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush averaged 11 percent across the polls. However, two of the polls had him at 14 percent.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich averaged 10 percent across the polls, followed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 6 percent.

The polls, released Thursday, were from American Research Group, Fox News, the S.C. House GOP, Harper Polling and the Emerson College Polling Society.

The polls all were taken after the GOP presidential debate in Greenville Saturday, where Trump criticized former President George W. Bush for the 2001 terrorist attacks happening on his watch – a comment some predicted might hurt him in South Carolina, where the Bush family is popular.

Clinton still leading

Meanwhile, Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton maintains a strong lead over U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in their party’s Feb. 27 S.C. primary, according to a new poll.

Clinton has 59 percent support while Sanders has 30 percent, according to the Monmouth University poll, released Thursday. Still, Clinton’s lead was down from 48 points in a November Monmouth poll.

Among African-Americans – expected to make up a majority of Democratic primary voters – Clinton’s margins are wider than among Democrats overall.

While Sanders has a 48 percent to 44 percent edge over Clinton among white voters under 50, Clinton is beating Sanders among under-50 black voters, 60 to 26.

Sixty-nine percent of black voters 50 years and older preferred Clinton while 12 percent picked Sanders in the poll.

Sanders performed well among self-identified S.C. independents likely to vote in the S.C. primary Feb. 27, leading Clinton by 46 to 43.

However, Clinton is beating Sanders 65 to 24 among self-described Democrats.

Sanders has been polling better in Nevada, whose Democrats will caucus Saturday, a week before S.C. Democrats hold their presidential primary.