Despite his absence from the recent GOP presidential debate, former President Donald Trump appears to have remained unscathed in his standing within the party. On the other hand, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie faced a challenging night, met with boos from the audience. Post-debate polls showed only a marginal gain for Christie, increasing his support from 3% to 4%, thus failing to make a significant impact on his presidential prospects.
In the latest poll by the Morning Consult after the debate, it was determined that Trump’s popularity was not impacted negatively. It also showed that Christie’s repeated attacks on the former President didn’t help him much either and the race is still between Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Trump maintains a 44-point lead over Ron DeSantis after skipping the first GOP primary debate.
The first Republican primary debate for the 2024 presidential nomination led to minimal shifts in voter support among the candidates. Former President Donald Trump, who did not participate in the event, retained a 58% backing from potential Republican primary voters, according to a survey conducted on August 24.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie each experienced a 1-point increase in support following the debate. However, these slight changes are within the survey’s 3-point margin of error. Ramaswamy, who came under attack from lower-polling candidates like former Vice President Mike Pence and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, now holds 11% of the projected primary vote, up from 10%. Chris Christie, who critiqued Trump openly during the debate, saw his support rise from 3% to 4%.
The lack of change contrasts sharply with the 2020 Democratic primary, in which the initial debate led to a notable shift in voter support. This stability in the Republican field underscores Trump’s continued influence over his party’s electorate.