Donald Trump maintains a strong lead in the GOP presidential field.
Among self-identified Republicans or self-identified independents leaning Republican, the businessman and real estate mogul garners 24 percent of support, according to the first CNN/ORC poll post-debate.
This is far and away better than his nearest competitor, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush who sits at 13 percent. Following Bush are retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 8 percent, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio both at 7 percent, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul at 6 percent, businesswoman Carly Fiorina and Ohio Gov. John Kasich at 5 percent, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 4 percent, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry at 2 percent and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum at 1 percent.
Since July, Trump is the biggest gainer in the poll — up 6 percentage points. Carson has gained five points, while Fiorina has gained 4 points. The first GOP debate was held in Cleveland on Aug. 6.
Trump’s favorability among Republicans is also up from 50 percent in July to 58 percent now.
Trump also is trusted by Republican voters on top issues including the economy (45 percent), illegal immigration (44 percent) and the Islamic State (32 percent); no other candidate comes close on any of these three issues.
However despite the support, most Republicans (58 percent) say the party would have a better chance to win the White House in 2016 with a different candidate.
The poll of roughly 1,000 registered voters was conducted Aug. 13-16, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The poll specifically surveyed 466 registered voters who identified as Republican or Republican-leaning, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
