Ron DeSantis won Wednesday night’s Republican showdown against Nikki Haley in Iowa, according to an exclusive Daily Mail short poll of viewers that rewarded him for his more aggressive approach.
About 55 percent of respondents said Florida’s governor won the debate, while 31 percent said his rival performed better.
The results will provide a much-needed boost to the Florida governor’s campaign as he tries to keep his 2024 presidential hopes alive.
On Monday, Republicans will gather in gymnasiums, church halls and front rooms across Iowa to elect their favorite candidate.
It is the first state to make a decision and has a reputation for making or breaking campaigns.
Viewers declare Florida Governor Ron DeSantis the winner of Wednesday night’s debate with former South Carolina Governor Nikki Halley in our quick poll
Republican 2024 Ron DeSantis with his wife Casey and son Mason after Wednesday night’s CNN debate against Nikki Haley in Des Moines, Iowa
Donald Trump is likely the favorite to win the race, but a poor performance could spell electoral doom for DeSantis, who has gambled away much of his money and man-hours in the state.
James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners, which conducted the poll, said whether or not Trump would make it through the nomination process comes down to whether the field quickly shrinks to a two-horse race.
“Republicans watching the debate last night sent a clear message: That person should be Ron DeSantis,” he said.
“He was seen as the winner over Nikki Haley and the best to take on Trump.”
DeSantis put on the kind of display his supporters have wanted to see for months.
In a breathless opening salvo, he dismissed Haley as a “corny” politician beholden to donors.
And he kept up the barrage all night, keeping his opponent on the defensive.
To gauge reaction to the clash, JL Partners used online survey methods to survey 453 Republicans who said they watched the debate.
The fieldwork lasted two hours after the debate ended. The results have a margin of error of 4.6 percent.
DeSantis came out and kept it up until the end of the night
“While there was a different, more powerful DeSantis on display last night, this is consistent with what we have known for some time,” Johnson said. “Nationally, the Republican primary audience is very socially conservative, does not want the US involved in foreign wars, and is modeled in the image of Donald Trump.
“DeSantis meets those standards more than Haley, and was successful in demonstrating those assets last night. The question now is whether he can convert his debate boost into a clear second place in Iowa.’
DeSantis was once seen as the front-runner for the nomination after cruising to a landslide re-election in Florida just over a year ago.
Since then, a failed campaign launch set the tone for a campaign that sputtered. At times it was overshadowed by bickering between campaign workers and independent groups supporting his campaign.
That could all be forgotten with a strong showing on Monday, when Iowa Republicans become the first in the country to elect their preferred candidate.
Trump is far ahead, with an average of about 50 percent of support in the polls. DeSantis is about 17 percent, with Haley hot on his heels.
Wednesday’s debate was their last chance to make their case before a national prime-time audience, as DeSantis and Haley try to position themselves as the candidate most likely to beat Trump.
Haley had a new website and wanted viewers to come away with the URL stuck in their minds. She has risen in the polls with major endorsements and a cash injection
Haley is greeted by her daughter Rena and son Nalin after wrapping up her Iowa showdown with Republican rival DeSantis
Adding to the intrigue, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced he was dropping out, ending a campaign focused almost entirely on attacking Trump.
DeSantis has spent much of his campaign betting on a good result in Iowa. A bad spell, and the stakes were clear when he came out in the debate.
The next state to be nominated is New Hampshire, where Haley scores much stronger.
“The New Hampshire primary, which features more independent voters than the usual primary, is likely to give Haley a strong performance,” Johnson said.
“This will reduce DeSantis’ chances of achieving what he and – as our polling shows – the national Republican primary audience want most: a showdown between DeSantis and Trump.”
Trump skipped the debate, as he did the previous ones. He has made it clear that he sees no advantage in sharing a podium with rivals looking to overtake him.
Former President Donald Trump skipped Wednesday night’s Republican debate — as he has skipped all GOP debates thus far — and took part in a Fox News town hall across town in Des Moines
And viewers agreed. About 60 percent said Trump was right not to attend the debate, while 30 percent said he was wrong not to debate his rivals.
Instead, he appeared before a friendly Fox News audience across town from the debate stage at Drake University in Des Moines.
For their part, Haley and DeSantis were once again cautious when it came to the former president.
Instead, their attacks were on each other and their battle for second place.
But despite all the noise, names and blame, the debate revealed a crucial difference in their views when they asked whether the government should monitor companies and their social policies.
DeSantis, who has been at war with Disney over his opposition to its ban on references to homosexuality in classrooms, said yes.
“The proper role of government, if it means anything, is to protect our children, and I have protected our children,” he said.
Haley offered another, traditionally more conservative and less interventionist answer: “Government was designed to secure the liberties of the people.
“We don’t need a government fighting our private industries.”