PHOENIX – Arizona Republicans are more likely to classify themselves as supporters of former President Donald Trump than as supporters of the party, according to a new poll.

In a survey of likely Arizona Republican voters released Wednesday, OH Predictive Insights asked, “Politically, which of these terms comes closer to how you see yourself, even if both apply to you?”

Respondents were given the options of “supporter of Donald Trump,” “supporter of the Republican Party,” neither or both.

Trump beat out the party 39%-33% as the top answer. Both was third with 19%, followed by neither at 9%.

“So you really see that split there, or division, and you’re going to be seeing that play out in the primaries here in Arizona, but across the country as well,” Mike Noble, OH Predictive Insights chief of research, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Thursday.

The Trump advantage was notably large among rural voters, 50% of whom preferred the former president vs. 28% for the GOP, with both at 15% and neither at 6%.

The poll, which the Phoenix-based research firm conducted on April 4-5, also showed that Trump’s overall favorability among Arizona Republicans remains high more than a year after he left office.

More than 80% of respondents said they view Trump either very favorably (59%) or somewhat favorably (25%), while only 13% came down on the unfavorable side of the fence.

Republicans, however, aren’t as enamored with their local leaders. Gov. Doug Ducey’s split was 68% favorable and 24% unfavorable, while 43% said Arizona was heading in the wrong direction vs. 41% thinking the state is on the right track.

The poll results also showed that immigration is by far the top issue among the state’s GOP voters, so expect plenty of campaign ads featuring candidates at the border heading into this year’s elections.

Immigration was cited more than all other issues combined at 56%, followed by jobs/economy at 13% and education at 12%.

“It is overwhelmingly the driving issue in the Republican primary,” Noble said of immigration. “However, when you look at the general election, once we move on to that, jobs and the economy is going to be that dominant issue once we get closer to November.”

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