Donald Trump remains atop the Republican presidential field following the fifth and final debate of 2015, according to a new national poll of GOP voters.
The self-funded billionaire, who sparred with several of his rivals during the prime-time event Tuesday night, saw only a slight decline in support in the latest Morning Consult poll taken since the debate.
In the same survey taken immediately before the debate, Trump led the field with 38 percent. Post-debate, he now earns 36 percent and continues to lead his next closest rival, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, by more than 20 points.
Carson dropped from 14 percent to 12 percent since the debate, while Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who delivered one of the strongest performances Tuesday night, fell from 12 percent to 11 percent.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was the only top-tier candidate to see a slight increase, jumping from 8 percent to 9 percent support. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who also stood out Tuesday night, remains at 2 percent.
While Trump dropped just 2 points overall, his support among women voters went from 34 percent before the debate to 29 percent after. Still, only one in six Republicans said they would cast their ballot for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton if she and Trump go head-to-head in the general election.
The post-debate survey of 861 registered Republicans and right-leaning voters was conducted between Dec. 16-17. Results contain a margin of error plus or minus 3 percent.
