Three presidential hopefuls — former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — are ranked as having the most “disappointing” debate performance, a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) poll found.
The survey, taken August 24-30, following the first Republican primary debate, held August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, asked Republican primary voters, “Who do you think had the most disappointing debate performance?”
Of the eight candidates who participated, Christie took first place in terms of whom voters thought had the most disappointing debate performance, as 29 percent chose him.
Pence came in second place, with 16 percent identifying him as having the most disappointing debate performance. Notably, both Christie and Pence consistently have the highest unfavorable rating in Morning Consult’s weekly Republican primary poll.
DeSantis rounds out the top three most disappointing debate performances with 12 percent choosing him.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson came in fourth place with seven percent, followed by anti-woke businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (five percent), North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (four percent), South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (two percent), and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (two percent). Another 19 percent said they did not know or refused to answer.
The full survey was taken August 24-30, among 1,500 registered voters.
The results come as DeSantis, particularly, failed to see a boost in the polls post-debate, leading to further panic among donors. The pro-DeSantis Super PAC Never Back Down, for example, has ceased door-knocking operations in several Super Tuesday states as DeSantis failed to garner any momentum post-debate. Instead, they reiterated their plan to invest primarily in three early states — New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Iowa.
“Wow! Ron DeSanctimonious has seen a Polling CRASH like no other,” former President Donald Trump exclaimed on Truth Social over the weekend.
“People have gotten to know him. Also, really bad Social Security votes, and would decimate Medicare. That doesn’t play well in America!” he added.
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Matthew Perdie / Breitbart News, Jack Knudsen / Breitbart NewsThe second presidential debate is slated for September 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Moderators include Fox News Media’s Stuart Varney, Dana Perino, and UNIVISION’s Ilia Calderón. Trump, again, is not expected to participate.
