Republican voters overwhelmingly agree the 2016 presidential candidate with the most delegates should go forward as the GOP's official nominee, should all the candidates fall short of bagging the required number of delegates to automatically seize the ticket.

Anti-Trump Movement Gains Steam

The findings of the Bloomberg Politics national poll should come as calming news to GOP front-runner Donald Trump, the subject of an intense "StopTrump" crusade that seeks to stop the bombastic New York City real estate magnate and political neophyte in his tracks. Trump's opponents argue the party's rules allow other candidates to seek and claim the nomination if no candidate reaches the designated 1,237 delegates before July's GOP convention.

The movement has already gained the public support of 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Trump's current rival Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Poll Reveals GOP Support for Trump

But the poll finds 63 percent of GOP voters, who have already voted in the primaries or plan to do so, are convinced whichever candidate earns the most delegates should be viewed as the official face of the party, even if he lacks a majority.

Over time, climbing that hurdle may prove to be the least of Trump's concerns. The survey also found if he should emerge as the Republican nominee, he would be easily trounced by Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in a general election showdown, 54 percent to 36 percent. Such findings are in keeping with another aspect of the poll that found Trump rates unfavorably with 68 percent of all voters, compared with 53 percent for Clinton.

"Trump's numbers are bad and getting worse," said pollster J. Ann Selzer, who oversaw the survey. "A majority of Americans now describe their feelings toward him as very unfavorable. That's a 13-point spike from November 2015."

Trump's apparent fall could run deeper than just the candidate himself. Researchers also found 60 percent of Americans now view the Republican Party unfavorably, the highest negative rating the poll has noted since it started nearly seven years ago. The Democratic Party, in contrast, is viewed negatively by 43 percent.

Trump Maintains Lead, but Loses in Match-ups

Still, Trump holds a commanding lead over his two GOP rivals, bagging 40 percent of the vote to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's 31 percent and Kasich's 25 percent. But Kasich is the only remaining GOP candidate who happens to best Clinton in a general election match-up, leading 47 percent to 43 percent. Clinton tops Cruz 51 percent to 42 percent.

"For those wondering why Kasich hasn't dropped out of the race -- with his distant third-place showing in delegates -- that is the reason," Selzer said of the governor's apparent general election appeal.

The poll also found Americans seem much more in tune with Clinton's overall assessment of the country than that of Trump, who has adopted the slogan "Make America Great Again."

Clinton has countered that slogan, saying, "America has never stopped being great." When asked if America is "no longer great" or "never stopped being great," 63 percent of voters sided with Clinton's outlook.

Overall, Trump has won 18 states to Cruz's eight and one for Kasich. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio won three contests, including Puerto Rico, before he suspended his campaign.

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