WASHINGTON – Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haleywho is gaining ground in the Republican primary, clearly emerged victorious in the third debate, according to a new poll.
A 538/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found that 34 percent of likely Republican primary and caucuse voters who watched all or part of the debate said Haley had the best performance among the five candidates on stage.
Behind her is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, with a 23% rating, a businessman. Vivek Ramaswamy with a rating of 14%, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with an 8% rating and South Carolina Senator. Tim Scott with a rating of 5%.
But when asked which candidates performed worst, 29 percent of voters chose Ramaswamy. After him, there was Christie with a 24% rating, Scott with a 12% rating, DeSantis with a 6% rating, and Haley with a 5% rating.
The poll had a margin of error of 2.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level for all respondents and 4.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level for debate observers.
The debate, moderated by moderators Lester Holt and Kristen Welker of NBC and Salem Radio Network talk show host Hugh Hewitt, featured clashes between the candidates over President Joe Biden’s Ukraine funding plan, TikTok, abortion and Israel.
Ramaswamy in particular, who ranks fourth in national polls, took harsh jabs at Haley, asking voters: “Do you want a leader from a different generation who is going to put this country first, or do you want Dick Cheney in 3 inch heels? ?”
Haley responded with a correction: “They’re 5-inch heels and I don’t wear them unless I can run in them.”
The candidates also explained why they would be a better president than former President Donald Trump, who is leading in polls for the Republican nomination.
“He owes it to you to stand on this stage and explain why he should be given another chance,” DeSantis said. “He should explain why he didn’t ask Mexico to pay for the border wall. He should explain why he has accumulated so much debt. He should explain why he didn’t drain the swamp.
But despite Haley’s debate success, the poll shows that 62 percent of likely Republican primary voters still have a favorable impression of Trump.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Haley wins third debate while Ramaswamy loses, poll finds