On the issue of the economy and jobs, Trump was picked as best for dealing with that issue as president by nearly two thirds (64%) of survey respondents, with Marco Rubio (17%) and Ted Cruz (13%) finishing a distant second and third, respectively.

Trump also finished first in the poll on the topic of the federal deficit, with 61% of those surveyed saying he would be the best for addressing this problem. Rubio and Cruz were tied at just 16% each.

Similar policy wins were obtained by Trump over his GOP rivals on immigration (52% vs. 25% for Rubio and 18% for Cruz), national security (46% vs. 24% for Rubio and 22% for Cruz), and health care (44%, vs. 23% for Rubio and 22% for Cruz).

Trump also won the credibility race by a long shot against Rubio and Cruz. Of those polled, 56% said Trump would accomplish what he sets out to do. Only 21% and 16%, respectively, thought Rubio and Cruz would achieve their goals.

Almost half (45%) thought Trump would improve the United States' standing in the world, compared to 27% for Rubio and only 20% for Cruz.

When it comes to who would be best at protecting citizens' constitutional rights, Trump (38%) finished well ahead of Cruz (31%) and Rubio (24%).

Despite – or perhaps because of – his combative style, Trump (35%) was even picked as the best GOP presidential candidate for dealing effectively with Congress, followed by Rubio (32%) and Cruz (23%).