Donald Trump has a higher following than his presidential race counterpart Hillary Clinton among the white evangelicals, according to a new CBS poll.
About 62 percent of the white evangelicals are supporting Trump, while only 17 percent favor Clinton, which gives Trump an edge by a wide margin of 3 to 1 over his competitor among this group.
White men were more likely to support Trump (51 percent) than Clinton (31 percent), and white women preferred Clinton (43 percent) over Trump (35 percent).
About 51 percent of those surveyed expected Hillary Clinton to win the 2016 presidential election, but only 35 percent of the voters thought so about Trump.
About 87 percent of those who support Trump and 89 percent of those who support Clinton said that they will not change their minds. But only about 29 percent of the voters in each camp said they strongly support their candidates.
As many as 82 percent men and 76 percent women, including Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, are ready to elect a woman for president, which amounts to double the number of people who wanted to vote for a woman president some twenty years ago.
A recent Bloomberg national poll showed a 12-point gap between Clinton and Trump, with 49 percent of Americans favoring Clinton over Trump (37 percent).
"Clinton has a number of advantages in this poll, in addition to her lead," said pollster J. Ann Selzer, who oversaw the survey. "Her supporters are more enthusiastic than Trump's and more voters overall see her becoming a more appealing candidate than say that for Trump."
About 900 evangelicals are scheduled to meet Trump behind closed doors on June 21, according to Religion News Service.
"Our goal is to be able to have a conversation that could lead to a better understanding of what Donald Trump has to offer to the country," Family Research Council President Tony Perkins told Fox News.
"There is no preconceived outcome here," Perkins added. "I'm hoping we can have a conversation that could lead to helping conservative leaders make a decision about what to do in this election."
