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Poll: Voters More Open to Sanders Than Others in General Election


FILE - Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., gestures to supporters during a campaign rally in Laramie, Wyo., Tuesday, April 5, 2016.
FILE - Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., gestures to supporters during a campaign rally in Laramie, Wyo., Tuesday, April 5, 2016.

More Americans said in a new survey released Monday they would definitely vote for or consider voting for Democrat Bernie Sanders than any other candidate left in the 2016 presidential race.

The Associated Press-GfK poll surveyed 1,076 people between March 31 and April 4. Twenty-one percent said they would definitely vote for Sanders, and 41 percent said they would consider it.

Hillary Clinton, who leads Sanders in the Democratic race, ranked second with a combined 50 percent. On the Republican side, Ted Cruz and John Kasich each had 43 percent, while front-runner Donald Trump ranked last at 35 percent.

Trump did lead when it came to the candidate people said they would definitely not support with 63 percent. That number is up from 54 percent from the same poll in February. Kasich and Sanders were the only ones who showed significant improvement in that area.

The survey also examined a hypothetical general election matchup between Clinton and Trump. In that case, 43 percent of people said Clinton represented their positions on important issues, compared to 30 percent for Trump.

Clinton also had a similar advantage when it came to who would better handle the U.S. image abroad, filling Supreme Court vacancies, immigration, health care, international trade and working with Congress. The two candidates were about equal when it came to the economy, creating jobs and handling the threat posed by Islamic State.

The Democratic and Republican parties will formally select their candidates for the general election at conventions in July after the conclusion of the months-long process of primaries and caucuses across the country. About one-third of the 50 states have yet to hold their contests.

The next primary for both parties is April 19 in New York, which is one of the most delegate-rich states. Multiple polls have Trump leading Cruz and Kasich by about 30 points, while Clinton has about a 15-point advantage over Sanders.

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