An exclusive DailyMail.com poll reveals why viewers of the fourth Republican debate voted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis the winner.
They saw him as the most “presidential,” most “competent” and the “strongest” of the five candidates who took the stage on Wednesday.
The results will boost a campaign that has faltered at times and saw former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley tie him for second place.
JL Partners asked 544 people watching the debate to match candidates with characteristics including “weakest,” most “boring” and most “smarmy.”
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswarmy’s flame-throwing performance saw him win the title of ‘funniest’, but his risk-taking approach also saw him branded the most ‘smarmy’.
JL Partners surveyed 544 people on Wednesday evening in the 90 minutes after the debate ended
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was the clear winner in a range of categories, from most presidential to most competent and strongest on Israel
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was singled out for some of the most unflattering words – the most “boring” and “annoying” – almost certainly because of his status as the candidate most critical of front-runner Donald Trump.
It left Senator Tim Scott and Haley as the forgotten candidates. Neither claimed first place for any of the attributes mentioned.
Haley was only second to DeSantis as “strongest in Israel,” despite her foreign policy experience as Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations.
Instead, some 24 percent of respondents said the governor of Florida, who arranged flights to evacuate Americans from the Middle East, was the harshest on Israel.
James Johnson, co-founder of polling firm JL Partners, said DeSantis was the clear winner in terms of qualities voters valued.
“He was seen as the most presidential, the strongest and the most competent,” he said.
“There are even signs he is improving his image, with voters saying he was the most charming candidate.
“Haley did well, often coming in second on these measures.
‘Ramaswamy impresses some but turns off more people, who are seen as smarmy and aggressive. Christie is the bane of the Republican voter. And Scott struggles to get on the radar, often near the bottom of the list on most metrics.”
When asked to rate the five candidates on stage Wednesday night, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (center) came out on top with an average score of 6.6 points.
The poll also showed DeSantis beating Haley when viewers were asked to view the debate as a head-to-head competition. About 56 percent of respondents said he was the better performer of the two, while 35 percent said Haley did better.
Whether or not this will turn the tide in their attempt to rein in Trump, who has a big lead just two months before the first state chooses its candidate, remains to be seen.
According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls, his primary lead is 44 points.
Still, the DeSantis campaign saw the positive reviews as justification for an approach in which the Florida governor talked about his achievements without getting too drawn into other candidates’ arguments.
“The momentum in this race is clear: After a historic endorsement by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and a big debate victory in front of the crowd in his hometown of Miami, Ron DeSantis has put Donald Trump on the defensive with the Iowa caucus just 68 days away campaign manager James Uthmeier said.
Both DeSantis and Haley were careful Wednesday not to hit too hard on Trump, who was holding a rally nearby, to avoid alienating his loyal group of supporters.
Vivek Ramaswamy had a strong first debate, pollster James Johnson said, but has since faded and his combative style has irritated some viewers
DeSantis and his wife Casey wave as they leave the third Republican presidential primary debate in Miami
At the start, they were both asked why they would be a better candidate than the former president.
“He said Republicans were going to get tired of winning,” DeSantis said before bringing up Tuesday’s disappointing election results. “Well, we saw last night: I’m tired of Republicans losing.”
He won big a year ago. DeSantis was re-elected as governor of Florida in a landslide and appeared to be the candidate to beat for the 2024 nomination.
But his rising star has faded, overshadowed by Trump’s massive campaign.
DeSantis suggested Trump was not the big beast he once was and accused him of failing to implement his “America First” policies.
The former president stayed away from Wednesday’s debate, but still cast a long shadow.
“Everyone wants to talk about President Trump,” Haley said when asked about him.
“Well, I can talk about President Trump. I can tell you that I think he was the right president at the right time. I don’t think he’s the right president right now.”