Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina and Dr. Ben Carson moved up in the polls the most in the first polls conducted following the first GOP presidential debates.
In a new NBC News/Survey Monkey poll released on Sunday, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a constitutional conservative, catapulted into second place overall, increasing by a whopping 7% over the prior poll, putting him at 13% overall, more than doubling his prior support of 6%, according to the poll.
Cruz, a former national collegiate debate champion, soared despite having his debate performance largely put on mute mode by major media outlets, including FOX News.
Businesswoman Carly Fiorina, who most believe won the “happy hour” debate among the bottom seven candidates, surged 6%, leapfrogging several candidates and is now tied for fourth place with Florida Senator Marco Rubio, whose numbers were unchanged following the debate.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson increased his poll numbers by three points, moving into third place overall. Carson was considered to have one of the strongest closing statements of any candidate in either debate.
Overall, it was a terrible night, according to the poll, for establishment RINO candidates. Establishment-backed candidate Jeb Bush, who has constantly been pushed by media outlets as the inevitable GOP nominee, fell from second place all the way to being tied for fifth place with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Both Bush and Walker had three points shaved off their prior to the debate numbers following their uninspiring debate performances.
Join the conversation!
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.