Donovan Slack

USA TODAY

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney delivered an impassioned speech last week blasting Donald Trump as a “fraud” who would hand the White House to Hillary Clinton.

But a new poll finds that the 2012 GOP nominee’s attacks might have helped Trump more than hurt him, at least with Republican voters tasked with choosing this year's nominee.

The Morning Consult survey found 31% of registered GOP voters are more likely to vote for Trump given Romney’s speech, while 20% are less likely. Another 43% said it didn’t have an impact either way.

“The poll, which was conducted March 4 through March 6, also finds that only 5% of Trump supporters said they are now less likely to vote for Trump,” the pollster said in a release. “And, of those who voted for Romney in 2012, 30% said they were more likely to vote for Trump, compared to 20% who said less likely.”

That doesn’t necessarily bode well for the newest anti-Trump gambit from Romney. He recorded a robocall to be sent to Republicans in four states holding contests Tuesday — Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, and Mississippi, per the Washington Post:

“If we Republicans were to choose Donald Trump as our nominee, I believe that the prospects for a safe and prosperous future would be greatly diminished — and I’m convinced Donald Trump would lose to Hillary Clinton. So please vote tomorrow for a candidate who can defeat Hillary Clinton and who can make us proud."

The Morning Consult poll found that Trump actually has slightly higher favorability ratings among Republican voters than Romney. The New York real estate mogul is favored by 55%, compared to 42% that rate him unfavorably. Romney is favored by 51% and 41% rate him unfavorably.

Overall, Trump maintains a 17-point lead over the Republican field in the poll. But Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has narrowed his margin in the past month. Trump currently leads him 40%-23%. Last month, he led 44%-15%.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is third with 14% and Ohio Gov. John Kasich has 10%.

The poll surveyed 2,019 registered voters and has a 2% margin of error.

Romney blasts Trump as a 'fraud' Clinton would beat

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