Looks like it didn’t hurt him
by digby
Donald Trump still is leading the S.C. Republican presidential race after the weekend’s explosive GOP debate in Greenville.
But the race for second place in Saturday’s primary appears to be narrowing.
Behind Trump, who has 35 percent support in the poll, U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas are tied for second place — at 18 percent each, according to a Public Policy Polling survey released exclusively Monday to The State.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is in forth at 10 percent support, followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, tied with 7 percent support each.
Public Policy interviewed 897 likely GOP primary voters Sunday and Monday – the first look at how after Saturday night’s Republican presidential debate affected the race. The poll has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.
The GOP poll suggests Trump’s debate performance – in which he criticized former President George W. Bush for the 9/11 attacks – may not be hurting the frontrunner in a state that has deep ties to the Bush family.
The poll also suggests Rubio could be closing the gap on Cruz, who has finished second to Trump in seven out of the eight S.C. polls taken in 2016.
I’d still put my money on Cruz in 2nd place. But Trump’s birther crap is probably taking its toll.
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