Donald Trump leads GOP field with 40 percent support in new poll

More than 70 percent of Republicans said they think Donald Trump will be their party’s nominee.

According to an NBC News|SurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking Poll, 71 percent of registered Republicans said Trump will win the Republican nomination. That’s up 15 percent from just one week earlier.

Trump leads the GOP pack with 40 percent support, followed by Marco Rubio at 21 percent. Ted Cruz is in third with 18 percent.

According to the survey, 47 percent of Republicans said they are absolutely certain they will vote for their top choice; while 16 percent said was a 50-50 chance they would vote for their top choice.

In a two-man race, Trump defeats Rubio 52-percent to 46 percent. The survey found Trump beats Cruz, 55-percent to 42-percent.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders, 51 percent to 41 percent.

The NBC News|SurveyMonkey online tracking poll was conducted from Feb. 22 through Sunday.