Donald Trump remains atop the Republican presidential field despite what most agreed was a more subdued performance in Wednesday’s GOP debate, according to a new poll.
The celebrity candidate lost his spotlight to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in the third debate, causing him to drop to second place in the Washington Examiner’s post-debate power rankings. Still, a Rasmussen Reports survey of GOP voters taken after the third debate shows Trump continuing to lead his Republican rivals.
Trump earns 26 percent support among GOP voters, followed closely by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 21 percent. Rubio is in a distant third at 10 percent support, showing that Rubio’s solid performance hasn’t translated into significantly higher numbers, at least not yet.
Rubio is just one percentage point ahead of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. A tense exchange between the two Floridians over Rubio’s voting record was one of the more memorable moments of the third debate.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who drew substantial applause during the third debate when he slammed the moderators’ line of questioning, earned 7 percent. Meanwhile, Carly Fiorina, whose surge in the polls following the second GOP debate dissolved unexpectedly, trails her male counterparts with 4 percent.
A majority of Republicans in a separate Rasmussen Reports survey released Friday also view Trump as likely to win the GOP nod. Fifty-six percent of respondents said it is “likely” the outspoken billionaire will be the nominee, while 30 percent said it is “very likely.” Just 10 percent of Republicans said a Trump nomination is “not at all likely.”
Both surveys of 1,000 likely U.S. voters were conducted between Oct. 28-29 and include a margin of error plus or minus 3 percent.
