Ted Cruz’s lead in Texas follows three straight third-place finishes. | AP Photo Cruz leads Trump by double digits in Texas poll

Ted Cruz has a double-digit lead over Donald Trump in Texas, according to the results of a new poll of likely Republican primary voters released Wednesday by Houston Public Media and the University of Houston Hobby Center for Public Policy.

The Texas senator has the support of 35 percent of likely Republican primary voters in the state, followed by Trump’s 20 percent. All other candidates are in single digits, while 19 percent of those surveyed were still undecided.


Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has 8 percent, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has 7 percent, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (who dropped out of the race Saturday after the South Carolina primary) has 5 percent and Ohio Gov. John Kasich has 4 percent.

Cruz’s lead in the state follows three straight third-place finishes, including Tuesday in Nevada’s caucuses, and a subsequent public focus on Super Tuesday, which includes his home state.

“I want to say, I cannot wait to get home to the great state of Texas,” Cruz told supporters Tuesday night. “Tonight, I’ll sleep in my bed for the first time in a month, and then it will be back to the campaign trail in Texas and all across Super Tuesday, energizing and building that Reagan coalition.”

Thirty-five percent of voters say that having a candidate who is honest and trustworthy is the most important to them, 23 percent said they most prize someone who shares their values, while 15 percent say they prefer someone who cares about people like themselves, and 13 percent say they want someone who can win in November. Just 10 percent say they want someone with the right experience.

The share of people who care about honesty comes as Cruz battles accusations from Trump, Rubio and Carson that he has run a dishonest campaign.

The Texas primary will take place on March 1, with 155 delegates up for grabs.

The poll of 415 likely Republican primary voters in Texas was conducted by telephone from Feb. 12 to 22. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.8 percentage points.

Wednesday night, Trump weighed in on Texas voters and brought up questions he’s previously floated about Cruz’s presidential eligibility and his campaign.

“Why would Texans vote for ‘liar’ Ted Cruz when he was born in Canada, lived there for 4 years-and remained a Canadian citizen until recently,” the New York billionaire tweeted. “When Ted Cruz quits the race and the field begins to clear, I will get most of his votes — no problem!” he continued.