The first debate in the 2024 Republican presidential primary hasn’t delivered a big jolt to the contest, but polls are showing small changes in GOP voters’ preferences.
Support for former President Donald Trump has declined slightly, dipping to 53% as of Monday from 55.4% as of last Tuesday, the day before the debate in Milwaukee.
That’s according to a RealClearPolitics moving average of polls, which as of Monday was featuring five postdebate surveys.
Trump skipped Wednesday night’s debate but still drew attention as he staged counterprogramming with the help of pundit Tucker Carlson. The former president was also in the spotlight Thursday as he turned himself in at Georgia’s Fulton County Jail to meet a deadline for an election-interference case.
Support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has edged lower as well, retreating to 13% from 14.3% last Tuesday. DeSantis, who is a distant No. 2 in polls, had been viewed as likely to draw attacks from his fellow Republicans, but instead candidates such as Nikki Haley and Mike Pence spent time in the debate going after entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, whose performance in polls has improved throughout the summer.
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And read: Republican presidential debate: Haley impresses as Pence, Ramaswamy also score points
Ramaswamy has gained a bit in polls since the debate, with his support edging up to 7.5% as of Monday from 7.2% as of last Tuesday. Haley’s support has grown to 5% from 3.2%, while Pence’s has risen to 4.7% from 4%, according to the RealClearPolitics average.
An official for one poll emphasized that although Trump has lost a little ground, the other candidates still have a lot of work to do.
“While Trump saw a slight dip in support, the question from this poll is whether this is a blip for Trump or if the other Republican candidates will be able to rally enough support to be competitive for the caucus and primary season,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, in a statement.
Trump’s strong lead has sparked talk that the 2024 Republican primary is already over, but one GOP strategist told MarketWatch that he thinks it’s “not late in the game,” given that Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, planned for Jan. 15, are are still months away.
In Iowa-focused polls, Trump has 43.2% support, according to a RealClearPolitics average. He’s followed by DeSantis at 17.2%, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina at 10.2% and Ramaswamy at 5.2%. Haley is at 4.6% and Pence is at 3.8%.
Now read: Republican presidential debate: You wanted to hear about inflation. Here’s what you heard about instead.
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