The post-debate polls are in and show that the “outsider” candidates, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and Carly Fiorina, are being supported by a majority of Republican primary voters.
Polls conducted by Fox News, Bloomberg, Quinnipiac, and CNN/ORC all show that Trump is maintaining his lead, garnering between 21 and 26 percent.
Much of Trump’s momentum continues to be driven by white men, people without college degrees, Millennials, and conservatives, though he does well with all groups. According to the Quinnipiac poll, Trump is at 37 percent with Tea Party activists and 25 percent with Evangelicals.
Though he maintains his status as the Republican frontrunner, his numbers have slipped since the second debate. His pre-debate numbers in the RealClearPolitics.com average from 30 to 24 percent.
Ben Carson is holding onto his second place position with an average of 16 percent of the vote, fueled almost entirely by Evangelical Christian support.
Fiorina has catapulted to third place with nearly 12 percent, gaining support from moderates and women voters.
The top two establishment candidates, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), round out the top 5 with about 10 and 9 percent, respectively.
The only other candidate to poll above five percent was Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who polls between 5 and 8 percent.
Overall, the “non-politicians” have the support of 52 percent of Republican primary voters.
