Mitch Perry
Donald Trump maintains a modest lead in Iowa in a new Suffolk University poll, but it claims the big winners from Thursday’s night GOP presidential debate are Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
Trump takes 16.6 percent support, with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is next at 12 percent. Rubio is third at 9.6 percent, his best showing in the Hawkeye state in some time. Ben Carson follows closely at 9.4 percent. Ted Cruz is fifth at 7.6 percent, and Fiorina sixth at 7.4 percent. Jeb Bush is next at 4.6 percent.
When asked who won last week’s prime-time debate, however, Rubio topped the list with 23 percent support, with Carson next at 22 percent support. Ted Cruz was at 11 percent and Trump was only at 10 percent. Only 2 percent of Iowans thought Bush had the best night on Thursday.
When asked who was most impressive during the late-afternoon debate that featured the seven lower-ranking candidates, 82 percent said they thought Fiorina was the winner. Nobody else received more than 4 percent support. When asked whether she should be allowed to participate in the next debate against the top candidates (regardless, apparently of her poll numbers), an overwhelming 93 percent said she should be invited.
Meanwhile, 55 percent of Iowa voters said they less impressed with Trump after the debate. A majority (54-41 percent) also disagreed with the notion that the questions asked to Trump by the Fox News anchors were unfair.
The poll asked 500 Iowa voters, and has a margin of error of 4.4 percent.
