It’s no contest: Hillary Clinton has a dominating advantage over Donald Trump when it comes to field operations in the key battleground states.

That’s according to The POLITICO Caucus — a panel of activists, operatives and strategists in 10 of those states. Each of the nearly 100 Democratic insiders across the map who responded to the survey said Clinton’s campaign had the stronger organization and ground game in their state.


And, most troubling for Trump, Republicans were nearly unanimous in that conclusion as well: 92 percent of GOP insiders said Clinton was better positioned on the ground.

“Having worked in GOP grassroots politics for more than 20 years I can honestly say I have never seen a Republican presidential campaign with this weak of a field presence,” said one Florida Republican — who, like all respondents, completed the survey anonymously. “Where are the local offices in the major cities?”

The responses from unnerved Republicans ranged from mockery to genuine panic.

“Donald Trump just hired a guy yesterday in Colorado,” said a GOP insider there. “One guy — does that count as an organization?”

Added another Colorado Republican: “Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush still have better organization here than Donald Trump.”

In Iowa, one insider called Trump’s organization “MIA.” Another said it was “as small as his hands.”

One New Hampshire Republican said the question was like “asking who would win a football game between Alabama and Plymouth State,” comparing Trump to the state’s Division-III team facing the school with the most national championships in the history of college football.

An Ohio Republican said Trump’s team there is comprised of “a bunch of posers who get no respect.” A Pennsylvania Republican called it “the embodiment of chaos.” A Virginia Republican said Trump’s campaign there amounted only to “a series of Fox News appearances.”

While the judgments were mostly unanimous across the map, a few states stuck out as particularly problematic for Trump.

“There is exactly zero staff, zero campaign offices, and zero official campaign presence for Trump in Colorado, aside from a handful of red hats that individual supporters of the New York real estate developer have bought for themselves online,” said a Republican there. “To the extent that there is any campaign infrastructure that could be mobilized for a presidential year get-out-the-vote effort for the GOP, it has almost exclusively been built and paid for by the RNC. But in recent weeks there have been a significant number of Colorado RNC-funded field staffers who have quit, discouraged by the lack of organization and resources, stretched thin by too little funding and the dysfunction plaguing the state party, and frustrated with the infighting among various factions within the GOP that has depressed both donors and volunteers.”

In Iowa, some Republicans said Trump’s inability to organize the state during the caucuses back in February has contributed to his poor position.

“Team Clinton organized Iowa in 2007 and 2015 pre-Caucuses,” said one Republican. “Trump's amateurs didn't organize pre-Caucus and have done nothing since.”

A number of Nevada Republicans cited the potency of the Democratic ground game there, especially in presidential-election years. Said one: “[Clinton] is far ahead in organization, and that will make a difference especially in Las Vegas.”

It was the same story in New Hampshire — where polls show a close race but most insiders expect Clinton’s organizational advantage to put her over the top. “Any ground game beats no ground game every day,” said one GOP insider there.

Added another: “There is no Trump campaign in [New Hampshire]. No field staff, no scheduled [door-knocking] operation, no developed volunteer network.”

One North Carolina GOP insider cited a recent Trump event in the state as an example of the presumptive nominee’s negligence. “Trump: Campaign rally in Greensboro. Limited advance and no follow up,” the insider said, contrasting it with the Clinton campaign: “[Transportation] Secretary [Anthony] Foxx was the ‘advance’ for her trip to Raleigh last week, and President Obama is her partner for her trip to Charlotte next week. She's not ramping up her operation — it's up and running.”

In the key battleground state of Ohio, one GOP insider said Trump’s organization “is a shell game. … While the Democrats may have an old model, at least they have a machine.”

But a few Ohio Republicans expressed some hope that Robert Paduchik, whom the Trump campaign named as Ohio state director on Thursday, could right the ship. Said one insider: “Clinton has a better organization in Ohio for now, but the selection of Bob Paduchik … was a big benefit to Trump.”

There were some Republicans who — while acknowledging Clinton’s organizational advantage — said Trump could overcome it.

“Hillary has a great ground game,” said an Iowa Republican, “but she is so unlikable, it cannot be overcome with door knocks and phone calls.”

A Colorado Republican added: “By normal campaign ‘standards’ one would point to Hillary as having the stronger organization, but Trump has defied all odds during the GOP primary and did not use typical campaigning or use a ground game as typical campaigns have done. And he won.”

But, for most Republicans, Trump’s organizational deficit was indefensible.

Said one New Hampshire Republican: “Organization? Ground game? Why does Trump need that? It's not like it's a presidential campaign or anything.”

Insiders: Trump won’t be derailed in Cleveland.

Trump won’t be denied the Republican presidential nomination at this month’s national party convention, according to GOP insiders — despite chatter that the “Never Trump” movement would attempt to wrest it away from the presumptive nominee.

Eighty-five percent of GOP insiders saying they are “very confident” Trump will leave Cleveland with the nomination.

“NeverTrump is NeverHappening,” said a New Hampshire Republican.

Added another: “The convention is only three weeks away, and there really isn't a credible, coordinated effort underway to stop him from winning on the first ballot. And let's not forget, [Paul] Manafort is probably the best Republican operative in the country at whipping delegate votes and understanding how to work the convention.”

Most insiders conceded that Trump won the nomination fair and square — and an attempt to take it away risks a strong backlash from rank-and-file GOP voters.

“If the establishment and party insiders swoop in to change the rules and take the nomination away from him, it will justify much of the populist anger that created the environment that brought us Trump in the first place,” said a Virginia Republican. “For better or worse, Trump is our nominee, and the sooner the establishment and party insiders rally around him the better it will be for Republican candidates up and down the ballot.”

Some Republicans, however, are holding out hope for an alternative.

“The numbers are making the delegates queasy,” said a Florida Republican.

“I'm rooting strongly against that outcome,” added a New Hampshire Republican. “Nominating him is to enter into a political suicide pact, with Trump handing out cups of grape Kool Aid during the roll call. Hoping pragmatic delegates will stop the madness in time.”

But one North Carolina Republican said the pool of delegates includes a number of Trump supporters.

“There is a hardening disgust with Trump among elites, but that view is not shared by the grassroots conservatives who overwhelmingly comprise the delegates to the convention,” the Republican said. “A scenario in which they turn on Trump remains far-fetched.”

These are the members of The POLITICO Caucus, not all of whom participated in this survey:

Colorado: Ryan Call, Laura Carno, Matt Chandler, Will Coyne, Adam Eichberg, Mark Ferrandino, Cole Finegan, Michael Fortney, Andrew Freedman, Ted Harvey, Craig Hughes, Owen Loftus, Pete Maysmith, Frank McNulty, Karen Middleton, Christopher Murray, BJ Nikkel, Josh Penry, Rick Ridder, Alan Salazar, Janice Sinden, Pat Steadman, Pat Waak, Steve Welchert, Taylor West, Roxane White, Rob Witwer

Florida: Fernand Amandi, Scott Arceneaux, JP Austin, Tim Baker, Dennis K. Baxley, Slater Bayliss, Dave Beattie, Wayne Bertsch, Ron Book, Pamela Burch Fort, Jose Calderon, Kevin Cate, Kelly Cohen, Gus Corbella, Brian Crowley, Elizabeth Cuevas-Neunder, Justin Day, Judith Diaz, Nelson Diaz, John Dowless, Ryan Duffy, Jessica Ehrlich, Joe Falk, Alia Faraj-Johnson, Mark Ferrulo, Damien Filer, Marty Fiorentino, Rich Heffley, Nick Iarossi, David Johnson, Eric Johnson, Marian Johnson, Eric Jotkoff, Chris Korge, Jackie Lee, Susan MacManus, Beth Matuga, Fred Menachem, Jon Mills, Joe Mobley, Ben Pollara, Andrea Reilly, Steve Schale, April Schiff, Max Steele, Roger Stone, Richard Swann, Kevin Sweeny, Christian Ulvert, Steve Vancore, Ashley Walker, Andrew Weinstein, Andrew Wiggins, Ryan Wiggins, Rick Wilson

Iowa: Tim Albrecht, Brad Anderson, Rob Barron, Jeff Boeyink, Bonnie Campbell, Dave Caris, Sam Clovis, Jerry Crawford, Sara Craig, John Davis, Steve Deace, John Deeth, Derek Eadon, Ed Failor Jr., Karen Fesler, David Fischer, Ben Foecke, Doug Gross, Steve Grubbs, Tim Hagle, Bob Haus, Joe Henry, Drew Ivers, Jill June, Lori Jungling, Jeff Kaufmann, Brian Kennedy, Jake Ketzner, David Kochel, Chris Larimer, Chuck Larson, Jill Latham, Jeff Link, Dave Loebsack, Mark Lucas, Liz Mathis, Jan Michelson, Chad Olsen, David Oman, Matt Paul, Marlys Popma, Troy Price, Christopher Rants, Kim Reem, Craig Robinson, Sam Roecker, David Roederer, Nick Ryan, Tamara Scott, Joni Scotter, Karen Slifka, John Smith, AJ Spiker, Norm Sterzenbach, John Stineman, Matt Strawn, Charlie Szold, Phil Valenziano, Jessica Vanden Berg, Nate Willems, Eric Woolson, Grant Young

Nevada: Mac Abrams, Greg Bailor, Barbara Buckley, Yvanna Cancela, Bob Cavazos, Linda Cavazos, Jim DeGraffenreid, Andrew Diss, Peter Ernaut, Ryan Erwin, Chip Evans, Jay Gerstema, Oscar Goodman, Ryan Hamilton, Dan Hart, Pat Hickey, Zach Hudson, Jeremy Hughes, Megan Jones, Lindsey Jydstrup, Adam Khan, Peter Koltak, Roberta Lange, Sam Liberman, Laura Martin, Michael McDonald, Chuck Muth, Erven Nelson, Kristen Orthman, Neal Patel, Nick Phillips, Jon Ralston, Andres Ramires, Emmy Ruiz, Scott Scheid, Mike Slanker, James Smack, Paul Smith, Jack St. Martin, Mari St. Martin, Daniel Stewart, Brendan Summers, Riley Sutton, Robert Uithoven, Michelle White, Ed Williams, Heidi Wixom

New Hampshire: Charlie Arlinghaus, Arnie Arnesen, Patrick Arnold, Rich Ashooh, Dean Barker, Juliana Bergeron, D.J. Bettencourt, Michael Biundo, Ray Buckley, Peter Burling, Jamie Burnett, Debby Butler, Dave Carney, Jackie Cilley, Catherine Corkery, Corriveau, Fergus Cullen, Lou D’Allesandro, James Demers, Mike Dennehy, Sean Downey, Steve Duprey, JoAnn Fenton, Jennifer Frizzell, Martha Fuller Clark, Amanda Grady Sexton, Jack Heath, Gary Hirshberg, Jennifer Horn, Peter Kavanaugh, Joe Keefe, Rich Killion, Harrell Kirstein, Sylvia Larsen, Joel Maiola, Kate Malloy Corriveau, Maureen Manning, Steve Marchand, Tory Mazzola, Jim Merrill, Jayne Millerick, Claira Monier, Greg Moore, Matt Mowers, Terie Norelli, Chris Pappas, Liz Purdy, Tom Rath, Colin Reed, Jim Rubens, Andy Sanborn, Dante Scala, William Shaheen, Stefany Shaheen, Carol Shea-Porter, Terry Shumaker, Andy Smith, Craig Stevens, Kathy Sullivan, Chris Sununu, James Sununu, Jay Surdukowski, Donna Sytek, Kari Thurman, Colin Van Ostern, Deb Vanderbeek, Mike Vlacich, Ryan Williams

North Carolina: Don Davis, Francis X. De Luca, Anita Earls, Jonathan Felts, Tami L. Fitzgerald, Dylan Frick, Taylor Griffin, Robin Hayes, Morgan Jackson, Patsy Keever, Theresa Kostrzewa, Michael Luethy, Ray Martin, Thomas Mills, Melissa L. Reed, Chris Sgro, Paul Shumaker, Dee Stewart, Brad Thompson, Bruce Thompson, Charlie Wallin, Doug Wilson

Ohio: Jerry Austin, Greg Beswick, Matt Borges, Erica Bruton, Tim Burke, Janet Carson, Jai Chabria, Martha Clark, Bob Clegg, Damareo Cooper, Jo Ann Davidson, Michael Dawson, Bill DeMora, Cindy Demse, Kathy Dicristofaro, Katie Eagan, Michael Gonidakis, Wes Goodman, Joe Hallett, Ian James, Melissa Klide Hedden, David Leland, Nick Martin, Rhine McLin, David Pepper, Molly Shack, Mark R. Weaver

Pennsylvania: Chris Borick, Larry Ceisler, Valentino DiGiorgio, Jason Ercole, Dan Fee, Charlie Gerow, Marcel Groen, Leslie Gromis Baker, Mark Harris, Nan McLaughlin, Aubrey Montgomery, Christopher Nicholas, Nachama Soloveichik, David Sosar, Todd Stephens, Doc Sweitzer, David Thornburgh, Ray Zaborney

Virginia: Ray Allen, Sandra Brandt, Marc K. Broklawski, Patsy Brown, Janet Carver, John Cosgrove, Brian Coy, Doris Crouse-Mays, Tom Davis, Julie Dime, Abbi Easter, Mike Farris, John Findlay, Joe Fitzgerald, Sean Harrison, Margo Horner, Robert Hurt, Gaylene Kanoyton, Chris LaCivita, Sue Langley, Frank Leone, Robert G. Marshall, Tucker Martin, Ed Matricardi, Susan J. Rowland, Peter Snyder, Susan Swecker, Jo Thoburn

Wisconsin: Meg Andrietsch, Mary Arnold, Kevin Barthel, Mike Basford, Rebecca Bonesteel, Barry Burden, Terri Burl, Jim Camery, Patrick Guarasci, Robert Hansen, Gary Hawley, Marian Krumberger, Emily Nehring, Jason Rae, Brandon Scholz, John Zapfel

Kristen Hayford contributed to this report.