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 »

Explaining Republican Loyalty to Trump: The Crucial Role of Negative Partisanship

Key Points• Negative partisanship — the tendency for partisans to be animated by dislike for the other side — has become a powerful force in American politics.• This dynamic makes it harder for partisans to cross over to the other side and keeps general elections quite competitive.• Attacks on Donald […] Read more »

Why Republican voters believe Trump

When the Republican presidential candidates gather for their first debate this week, the encounter is likely to center on the legal problems of the man all of them are chasing. Former President Donald Trump has solidified his lead in the GOP race by convincing most Republican voters to view his […] Read more »