- Republican presidential candidates arrive on stage for the Republican presidential debate on August 6, 2015 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. From left are: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; Florida Sen. Marco Rubio; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson; Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker; real estate magnate Donald Trump; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; Texas Sen. Ted Cruz; Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul; and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
According to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday, businessman Donald Trump’s attacks on Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly have had no impact on his place at the top of the GOP primary polls. Not only does Trump remain atop the 17-candidate presidential field, with 24% of Republican primary voters behind him, but the real estate tycoon also comes out as the winner of the debate among respondents participating in the online survey:
At the same time, there seems to be little room for Trump’s image to change. One-third of Republican primary voters had a more favorable impression of him after the debate, while the same number reported gaining a more negative image or having their opinion of him stay the same as it was pre-debate.
Trailing Trump in second place was former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who saw his support drop five points to 12% after the debate. No other candidate earned more than 8% in the online poll, which was conducted between Thursday night and Sunday:
Image Credit: Screenshot
Several candidates did see a boost in their favorability ratings as a result of their strong debate performances, including Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Only Kentucky Senator Rand Paul saw his image suffer as a result of Thursday night’s debate, with one in five voters developing a negative opinion of him as a result of his performance.
Despite Trump’s current lead in the polls, the survey found that he fares no better than other Republicans against Democrat Hillary Clinton. The former Secretary of State would best Trump, 43% to 29%, in a general election head-to-head match-up.
The poll also found that Clinton would beat Bush, Rubio and Cruz by similar margins.
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