The two "anti-establishment" candidates have big leads in West Virginia's presidential primaries, according to a new poll.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has a 28-point lead over Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, and businessman Donald Trump doubles his nearest competition in the Republican primary, according to the MetroNews West Virginia Poll, released Monday.
Sanders leads Clinton, the former secretary of state, by 57 percent to 29 percent, a nearly 2-to-1 edge, the poll found. The Vermont senator also picked up an endorsement from Jeff Kessler, the West Virginia Senate minority leader and one of three Democratic candidates for governor.
Trump leads Texas Sen. Ted Cruz by 40 percent to 20 percent, with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in third with 15 percent, followed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson with 10 percent and Ohio Gov. John Kasich with 6 percent, the poll found.
"While our survey was conducted before the South Carolina primary and the Nevada caucus, the momentum for Trump and Sanders coming out of significant victories in New Hampshire has propelled both of these outsider candidates to big leads in West Virginia," said Rex Repass, director of the MetroNews West Virginia Poll. "The economy and frustration with the status quo in Washington is helping these non-traditional candidates nationally and in West Virginia."
Trump scored a big win in Saturday's Republican South Carolina primary, while Clinton defeated Sanders in the Democratic Nevada caucus the same day.
On the Democratic side, the poll found Sanders had his strongest lead among 18 to 34-year-olds, mirroring the strength he has shown nationally with young voters. But it also showed him leading among every different age group.
On the Republican side, Trump's best results came from voters who considered themselves independents and those in middle-income categories, Repass said.
The last public poll of the presidential race in West Virginia also showed Trump with a commanding lead. In August he led with 29 percent, to Rubio's 8 percent.
But that poll showed Clinton with nearly double the support of Sanders, showing how much ground the Vermont senator has made up since then.
In August, Clinton got 23 percent of the poll's support, while Sanders got just 12 percent.
West Virginia's primary is not until May 10, one of the latest in the nation. One or both of the presidential primaries could be all-but-decided by then.
The MetroNews West Virginia Poll sampled 411 registered, likely voters between Feb. 11 and 16. It has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.
Kessler's endorsement of Sanders is the first presidential endorsement from a gubernatorial candidate in West Virginia.
"Sen. Sanders believes that the system is rigged in favor of millionaires and billionaires, and I'm fighting the same battle in my race for Governor," Kessler, D-Marshall, said in a news release. "I've spent my years of elected public service fighting for the lower and middle class, fighting the influence of dark money in the campaign process, and have made full funding for education and free or assisted community college a priority of my campaign."
Sanders is running on a platform that includes free public college and university. Last year, Kessler proposed making West Virginia community colleges tuition free for qualified students.
Kessler wrote that he appreciates Clinton's work over her career, "But I'm more attuned with Sen. Sanders as we're both taking on the establishment, the insiders, and those who most benefit from controlling the wheels of government."
In the most recent public polling, Kessler narrowly trails businessman Jim Justice and former U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin in the Democratic primary for governor. Senate President Bill Cole, R-Mercer, is the presumptive Republican nominee for governor. Justice, Goodwin and Cole have not publicly endorsed a candidate for president.
As far as West Virginia's congressional delegation, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin endorsed Clinton nearly a year ago, and Rep. Alex Mooney, the 2nd District Republican, has endorsed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
But Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, Rep. David McKinley and Rep. Evan Jenkins, all Republicans, have all remained on the sidelines.
Reach David Gutman at david.gutman@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5119 or follow @davidlgutman on Twitter.