SIMI VALLEY, CA - SEPTEMBER 16: Republican presidential candidates (L-R) Rick Santorum, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Huckabee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) , U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker stand onstage during the presidential debates at the Reagan Library on September 16, 2015 in Simi Valley, California. Fifteen Republican presidential candidates are participating in the second set of Republican presidential debates. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

TEANECK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released Thursday showed Donald Trump and Ben Carson running nearly even as the top choices among Republican presidential candidates, and Hillary Clinton considerably ahead of Bernie Sanders.

The PublicMind by the Teaneck, New Jersey university indicated that 26 percent of Republican respondents would vote for Trump if the election were held today, versus 22 percent for Carson.

No other candidate received a double-digit favorable response, with Jeb Bush and Carly Fiorina only receiving 7 percent of respondents’ support, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie just 4 percent.

“Among Republicans, this is clearly an outsider’s game so far. The fact that Trump and Carson – two personalities who are better known for their business and medical acumen – are polling so well reflects the frustration that Republican voters seem to have toward the political system,” Krista Jenkins, professor of political science and director of PublicMind, said in a news release.

Among Democrats, Clinton well outshined Sanders among respondents. A total of 45 percent said they would vote for Clinton if the election were held today, while 23 percent preferred Sanders.

In particular, nonwhite respondents favored Clinton by 56 percent, compared to just 26 percent for whit Democrats. Millennial respondents were among the most likely to endorse Sanders, the poll said.

The Fairleigh Dickinson poll results on the Democratic candidates came in contrast to a Marist poll last month, showing that Sanders was leading Clinton – at least among New Hampshire voters.

The possible candidacy of Vice President Joe Biden received 17 percent support in the poll.

“Although the email controversy has dogged Clinton in recent weeks, she remains the candidate to beat on the Democratic side. With the first debate looming, Sanders and other Democratic candidates will be looking to chip away at her sizable lead nationally,” Jenkins said in the release.

A total of 49 percent of voters said they were optimistic that the nomination process would result in good choices in the general election, while 45 percent were pessimistic. A total of 55 percent said they were satisfied with the nomination process.

Media coverage of the election did not fare well in the poll. About 36 percent rated it as excellent or good, while 59 percent rated it fair or poor.

And across the board, 82 percent of respondents said they favored candidates who focused on important issues rather than those who were more likely to win the nomination.

The poll was conducted by landline and cellphone between Oct. 1 and this past Monday, from a random national sample of 824 registered voters. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.1 percent.