Poll: Almost Every Group Dislikes Trump

For Americans of nearly every race, gender, political persuasion, and location, disdain for Donald Trump runs deep, saddling the Republican front-runner with unprecedented unpopularity as he tries to overcome recent campaign setbacks. Seven in 10 people, including close to half of GOP voters, have an unfavorable view of Trump, according to a new AP-GfK poll. It's an opinion shared by majorities of men and women; young and old; conservatives, moderates, and liberals; and whites, Hispanics, and blacks—a devastatingly broad indictment of the billionaire businessman. Even in the South, where Trump has won GOP primaries decisively, close to 70% view him unfavorably. Among whites without a college education, one of Trump's most loyal voting blocs, 55% have a negative opinion.

Trump still leads the Republican field in delegates and has built a loyal following with a steady share of the GOP primary electorate. But the breadth of his unpopularity underscores the trouble he may still face in the Republican race, which appears headed to a contested convention where party insiders would have their say about who will represent the GOP in the fall campaign. Another problem for Trump is that his public perception seems to be getting worse. The number of Americans who view him unfavorably has risen more than 10 percentage points since mid-February, a two-month stretch that has included some of his biggest primary victories but also an array of stumbles that suggest difficulties with his campaign organization and a lack of policy depth. (Another recent poll found that Trump would be the most disliked major-party nominee ever.)