Trump Maintains Lead in Post-Debate Poll, But Fiorina Called Debate Winner

A post-debate poll from NBC/Survey Monkey finds Donald Trump maintaining his lead and two of the extensive GOP pack making gains.

And one of those topped the list of debate winners.

The poll was conducted Friday-Saturday. Trump made his CNN comments about Megyn Kelly — “you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever,” he said in reference to her tough debate questions — on Friday night.

Trump went from 22 percent support last week to 23 percent after the debate, a statistically insignificant jump. Scott Walker and Jeb Bush each lost three percentage points, from 10 percent apiece down to 7.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) gained 7 points to go from 6 percent to 13, and Carly Fiorina gained 6 percent to go from 2 to 8 — a gain that, if it becomes a trend, could put her on the main stage in the next debate.

Ben Carson gained 3 points from 8 percent to 11.

Twenty-two percent of those polled said Fiorina did the best job in the debate — not a small feat as her performance came in the 5 p.m. round instead of primetime. Eighteen percent thought Trump did the best job in the debate, but 29 percent thought he was the worst.

Thirteen percent thought Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Texas) won the debate, and 12 percent tipped their hat to Cruz. Three percent thought Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) combative performance were the best, but 14 percent thought he did the worst.

Trump supporters were asked if they would support The Donald if he ran as an independent; 54 percent said they would. Nineteen percent said they’d back the eventual Republican nominee.

The majority of those polled said they didn’t watch the debates; a third said they didn’t watch but followed up on the news coverage of the events. Just 18 percent watched both GOP debates.

A quarter ranked a candidate’s debate performance as “very important,” while the majority — 54 percent — said it was “somewhat important.”

Thirty-six percent of those polled described themselves as “moderate,” and 32 percent of all polled described themselves as evangelical.