Ohio Gov. John Kasich is breaking from the crowded field of GOP presidential hopefuls and could be in position to score a campaign-resuscitating second-place finish in New Hampshire, a late poll revealed Tuesday morning.
Donald Trump continued to hold his commanding lead with 33 percent support of likely GOP voters in the Granite State, American Research Group pollsters said.
But the all-important runner-up race appeared to be leaning just a bit toward Kasich at 17 percent, ahead of Marco Rubio at 14 percent, Iowa winner Ted Cruz with 10 percent, Jeb Bush at 9 percent and Chris Christie at 8 percent.
This poll was taken on Sunday and Monday.
Kasich’s 17 percent performance is a boost from the 14 percent he had, when these pollsters interviewed likely voters on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week.
Kasich’s potential rise in New Hampshire captured the attention of Bush’s campaign, which recently released a web ad attacking the Ohio governor’s support of an assault weapons ban and Medicare expansion.
“Unfortunately, I hate to say it, but Jeb is taking a very low road to the highest office in the land,” Kasich told “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.
“I’ve been positive. We’ve had 106 town hall meetings. People come, they laugh, they cry, they talk about things that matter to them. We’ve been positive.”
Over on the Democratic side, Vermont neighbor Bernie Sanders continued to hold a solid lead — although Hillary Clinton appeared to inch closer to a face-saving finish.
Sanders leads, 53-44, based on interviews with likely Democratic voters on Sunday and Monday. The same poll taken on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week had Sanders up 54-38.
Polling stations across New Hampshire are set to close between 7 and 8 p.m.