Donald Trump becomes frontrunner in Republican nomination race

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Donald Trump has won support of 15 per cent of likely Republican voters
Gives him four point lead over Jeb Bush and Rand Paul, both on 11
Two-thirds of those voting for Trump are Tea Party members, poll shows
However Bush is still tipped to take the nomination in the long haul

By Chris Pleasance for MailOnline

Published: 03:54 EST, 10 July 2015 | Updated: 18:41 EST, 10 July 2015

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Donald Trump has emerged as the frontrunner in the race for Republican nomination

Donald Trump is now the frontrunner in the Republican nomination race, according to the latest poll.

The tycoon has the backing of 15 per cent of likely Republican voters - a four point lead over Jeb Bush and Rand Paul, and six points ahead of Scott Walker, Marco Rubio and Mike Huckabee.

Trump also has the largest share of second preference votes, according to the Economist/YouGov poll, with 12 per cent of candidates choosing him as a backup, over Scott Walker on eight per cent.

Jeb Bush, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio were selected as backup candidates by seven per cent of voters, while Mike Huckabee trails on six per cent.

The shock lead for Trump opened up three weeks after he launched his election campaign with an astonishing attack on Mexican immigrants.

Promising to build a wall along America's southern border, he said rapists, drug dealers and killers were being allowed to flood into the country thanks to lax border controls.

While the comments led to several of Trump's lucrative business deals collapsing, it seems to have struck a chord with sections of the Republican voter base.

The poll shows Trump's approval rating is particularly high among Tea Party members, as two-thirds of those who said they were backing him identified with the ideology.

Trump was backed as first choice candidate by 15 per cent of voters - giving him a four point lead over Jeb Bush and Rand Paul - and he was also backed by 12 per cent as a second choice

Jeb Bush, pictured, has adopted a more moderate tone than Trump when it comes to Mexican immigrants

Trump's approval rating among Republicans has also rocketed in recent weeks.

On June 15, the day before he announced he was running for the GOP nomination, just 38 per cent of voters had a favorable opinion of him, while 47 per cent were unfavorable.

By the start of this month the 'favorable' votes overtook the 'unfavorable' ones for the first time, and now 49 per cent of people approve of Trump, compared with 43 per cent who don't.

But despite Trump's lead, there are signs his popularity could be short lived, with many voters thought to be backing him only in order to send a message to the other candidates.

Protestors in Washington DC urge voters to 'Dump Trump'

Trump's approval ratings are at an all-time high, rising from 38 per cent of voters thinking of him favorably the day before his campaign launch to 49 per cent today

Trump's lead over Jeb Bush and the others (left) could be short-lived. Asked who was most likely to secure the Republican nomination, an overwhelming majority backed Bush (right)

When asked who was most likely to secure the nomination, an overwhelming 29 per cent of people backed Jeb Bush - more than twice the number who backed Rand Paul, who came in second.

Just seven per cent backed Trump - behind Rubio and Walker on eight each.

While Bush has called for tighter border controls between the U.S. and Mexico, he has struck a markedly more moderate tone than Trump.

Speaking at a recent rally in New Hampshire, he said: 'You can love the Mexican culture, you can love your Mexican-American wife, and also believe that we need to control the border.'

The results will also be a boost for Rand Paul (pictured), who is neck-and-neck with Bush in popularity

He also issued a scathing response to Trump's comments, calling them 'extraordinarily ugly'.

In another boost for the Bush campaign, it was revealed yesterday that his Super PAC has managed to raise $114million for his election campaign in the first six months of this year - more than any other politician in history.

Bush's war chest is believed to be twice the size of that raised by Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.