If the new ORC International poll for CNN is to be believed, Carly Fiorina’s thumping of Donald Trump was noticed. Trump is down 8 points from the previous CNN poll, losing a quarter of his prior 32% support, while Fiorina gained 12 points from a barely-registering 3%.
Have we, at long last, reached Peak Trump™?
I’ve been saying it all along that debates matter. Many Republican voters take them seriously as an opportunity to give the candidates a chance to speak, to make their cases for themselves, and then to evaluate those candidates.
It looks like this debate mattered a lot, if CNN’s polling is right:
| Candidate | Support | Change from last |
|---|---|---|
| Trump | 24 | -8 |
| Fiorina | 15 | +12 |
| Carson | 14 | -5 |
| Rubio | 11 | +8 |
| Bush | 9 | ±0 |
| Cruz | 6 | -1 |
| Huckabee | 6 | +1 |
| Paul | 4 | +1 |
| Christie | 3 | +1 |
| Kasich | 2 | ±0 |
| Santorum | 1 | ±0 |
| Walker | * | -5 |
Big gainers are obviously Fiorina and Rubio. Big losers are Trump, Carson, and Walker. Everyone else is treading water.
It’s only one poll but if this is borne out by others, Fiorina did what nobody else could: She trumped Donald. Also, Scott Walker has to be the biggest disappointment of this cycle, and it’s not even close.
Photos by Gage Skidmore on Wikimedia Commons.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member