For the GOP, it’s all over but the shouting … and there will be plenty of shouting

Watching this fight for the Republican presidential nomination is like watching a race or a game that feels fixed from the beginning. For all intents and purposes, former President Trump is effectively an incumbent seeking renomination. It is not and has not been an “open” contest with several hopefuls having […] Read more »

Post-GOP Debate Survey Shows Trump Didn’t Suffer for Skipping

The first Republican presidential debate did nothing to change former President Donald Trump’s formidable lead over his rivals for the party’s 2024 nomination. According to a survey conducted Aug. 24, 58% of potential Republican primary voters back Trump for the GOP’s 2024 nomination. This is unchanged from our surveys released […] Read more »

DeSantis, Ramaswamy, Haley seen as top performers in first Republican debate

A new FiveThirtyEight/Washington Post/Ipsos conducted immediately following the first Republican primary debate finds that Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Nikki Haley are viewed by those who watched the debate as the best performers. Post-debate, this trio of candidates also has favorability ratings that compete with former president and current frontrunner […] Read more »

First Republican debate guide: Four types of GOP primary voters, and just how solid is that Trump vote?

Former President Donald Trump has such a big lead in the Republican nomination contest — and is, voters tell us, such a dominant topic of the campaign — that we can even define primary voter segments around him. That helps explore just how solid his support really is. Trump has […] Read more »

At the first Republican debate what policy goals do voters want to hear? Stopping abortions isn’t a top one

… Fewer than half the GOP primary electorate would prefer a nominee who supports a national abortion ban, and for many others, policy on that doesn’t matter either way. Our latest CBS News Poll asked Republican primary voters about a range of policy goals and how important it is to […] Read more »