“Ron DeSantis Wins Republican Debate Poll, But Will He Gain Supporters?

Our Republican Debate Poll found that Ron DeSantis won, but he gained little Support. As the Republican party continues its march to the 2020 Presidential Election, much remains uncertain. Who will be the party’s nominee? What will be the final count of Republican contenders? To get a clue about how the debates are shaping the race, we conducted polling on the first Republican debate. The poll revealed that Florida senator, Ron DeSantis, garnered the most wins in the debate, but interestingly, the survey demonstrated little change in the opinions of respondents. DeSantis was a dominant force in a field of candidates debating across a wide range of topics including immigration, healthcare, national security, and trade. He spoke with poise and conviction throughout the evening, and the poll showed that many people felt he effectively addressed the issues. In the survey, 44% of participants claimed that DeSantis won the debate. This was nearly twice the amount of support he received in our pre-debate polling, showing that despite his strong performance, his candidacy has not found broad-based support among Republican voters. The poll also showed that the remaining contenders were unable to make significant inroads with the audience. Vice President Mike Pence was the second-most successful at the debate, with 23% of respondents claiming he won. However, like DeSantis, his support level was surprisingly unchanged from our pre-debate poll. The poll also found that the remaining candidates were unable to make a mark with the audience. Kentucky senator, Rand Paul, was the only other candidate to receive double-digit support, with 14% of respondents claiming he was the debate’s winner. Nevertheless, overall, the Republican contenders were largely overshadowed by DeSantis. In the end, the Republican debate poll showed that while Ron DeSantis was successful in defending his positions, he failed to drive support for his nomination. As the race goes on, it remains to be seen if any of the candidates can convince their fellow Republicans to make the leap and embrace the Florida Senator as their party’s nominee.