Trump leads in first poll of 2016

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- The 2016 primary season has officially begun, and Donald Trump is still enjoying a comfortable lead in the polls.

In a poll by NBC News and SurveyMonkey, 35 percent of those surveyed support Trump for president. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, comes in second with 18 percent, and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in third with 13 percent.

Thirty-nine percent of men surveyed support Trump, compared with 29 percent of women. Cruz has 21 percent support of men, compared to 13 percent of women. Rubio's gap is smallest, with 13 percent support from men compared with 14 percent support from women.

The thrust of Trump's support comes from white evangelical voters at 33 percent. Cruz garnered 21 percent of evangelical voters while Rubio maintains a consistent third place ranking with 10 percent.

By far the largest number of those surveyed said they were absolutely sure they would vote for Trump -- 51 percent. When it came to Cruz, 36 percent of those surveyed were sure they would vote for him. Third place Rubio had the certainty of 26 percent of those surveyed.

The survey was conducted from Dec. 28 through Jan. 3 and surveyed 3,700 people online nationwide. No margin of error was given.

The results echo national averages, which have Trump in first place, Cruz in second and Rubio in third, according to RealClear Politics.