Republican voters now view Donald Trump as their strongest general election candidate, according to a poll.
Seven in ten Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters have said that Trump could win in 2016 if he is nominated, which according to an Associated Press-Gfk poll, is the most positive response from voters on any candidate.
By comparison, six in ten said the same about retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who, like Trump, has tapped into the powerful wave of anti-establishment anger defining the early phases of the 2016 contest.
However, Trump and Carson are considered among the least electable general election candidates by the Republican Party’s professionals, those who are in the business of helping candidates run campaigns and win elections.
Experienced political strategists note that winning a general election and winning the Republican nomination are often very different tasks.
While Trump and Carson are popular in primary election polls, both have used divisive rhetoric in recent months that alienated some minorities.
Six in ten Republicans said Bush could win the general election and 54 per cent said the same about Florida Sen Marco Rubio.
Read More: AP-GfK Poll: GOP says Trump tops list of electable
