![\"monmouth\"](\"http:\/\/thecoastalpilot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/monmouth.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDonald Trump is supported by 30% of voters likely to participate in South Carolina\u2019s Republican primary in February, followed by Ben Carson at 15%. The next tier of candidates includes Jeb Bush (9%), Marco Rubio (6%), Carly Fiorina (6%), Ted Cruz (5%), and Scott Walker (4%). Lindsey Graham, South Carolina\u2019s senior U.S. Senator, gets very little love from home-state voters, with just 4% support. John Kasich, Mike Huckabee, and Rand Paul each get 3% of the vote. None of the remaining six candidates earn support greater than 2%. Another 11% of likely primary voters have no preference yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve become accustomed to Donald Trump leading in every poll, as the candidate himself likes to remind us,\u201d said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch, NJ. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting that Ben Carson, whose parents come from neighboring Georgia, is outpolling the state\u2019s own senator as a second choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Support among key groups of likely primary voters includes:
\n\u2022 Ideology \u2013 Trump wins very conservative (33%), somewhat conservative (31%) and moderate to liberal (23%) voters. Carson (21%) and Cruz (10%) take 2nd and 3rd place among very conservative voters. Carson and Bush are in the next tier among both somewhat conservative voters (13% and 11%, respectively) and moderate to liberal voters (10% and 14%, respectively).
\n\u2022 Evangelicals \u2013 Nearly two-thirds of the GOP primary electorate in South Carolina call themselves evangelical Christians. This group backs Trump (33%) over Carson (18%).
\n\u2022 Tea Party \u2013 Tea Party supporters back Trump (33%), with Carson (19%) and Cruz (9%) trailing. Non-Tea Party voters also back Trump (28%), followed by Bush (13%) and Carson (12%).
\n\u2022 Gender \u2013 Trump (35%) holds a wide lead over Carson (12%) among men, but a narrower 25% to 18% edge among women.
\nSouth Carolina GOP primary voters say that, regardless of who they support in the primary, the country needs a president from outside of government who can bring a new approach to Washington (61%) rather than someone with government experience who knows how to get things done (28%). Among those who prefer an outsider, two-thirds are backing one of the three candidates who have never held elected office \u2013 Trump (42%), Carson (20%), or Fiorina (6%). However, even among those who say the country needs someone with government experience, 19% are currently supporting one of these three candidates.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolitical experience is not a particularly valuable commodity this primary season,\u201d said Murray.
\nPalmetto State voters are divided on whether their final decision about who to support in the Republican primary will come down to the candidate\u2019s personal qualities and experiences (49%) or their positions on the issues (43%). When asked to name which issue voters will use to decide their own support for the Republican nomination, the economy (33%) emerges as the top concern, followed by national security (19%), taxes and government spending (17%), social issues (11%), immigration (10%), and education (4%). Voters were also presented with the opportunity to make a second choice among these issues. When both the first and second choices are combined, the economy (54%) is a top consideration for a majority of voters, followed by national security (39%) and taxes and spending (38%). Immigration (25%), social issues (19%) and education (11%) trail in importance to South Carolina GOP voters.
\n\\
\nLooking at the candidates\u2019 fundamental strengths, South Carolina primary voters give Donald Trump a solid 58% favorable to just 28% unfavorable rating. However, the best net positive ratings in the field go to Ben Carson at 72% favorable to 9% unfavorable. Marco Rubio (59% to 16%), Carly Fiorina (55% to 15%), Mike Huckabee (55% to 25%), and Scott Walker (48% to 15%) also earn net positive ratings \u2013 favorable minus unfavorable \u2013 as good as or better than Trump\u2019s. <\/p>\n
Other candidates receiving net positive ratings include Jeb Bush (52% favorable to 32% unfavorable), Ted Cruz (47% to 21%), Bobby Jindal (38% to 20%), John Kasich (32% to 17%), Rick Santorum (34% to 30%), and Rick Perry (36% to 33%).<\/p>\n
Five candidates\u2019 ratings are in net negative territory, including home state senator Lindsey Graham (35% favorable to 50% unfavorable), Chris Christie (34% to 42%), Rand Paul (31% to 44%), George Pataki (11% to 35%), and Jim Gilmore (5% to 22%).<\/p>\n
The Monmouth University Poll was conducted by telephone from August 20 to 23, 2015 with 453 South Carolina voters likely to vote in the Republican presidential primary. This sample has a margin of error of +4.6 percent. The poll was conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch, NJ.<\/p>\n