Poll: Fiorina won GOP debate

by Bradford Richardson - 09/18/15 3:29 PM ET

Carly Fiorina was the winner of the second GOP presidential primary debate, according to a poll released Friday by Morning Consult.

Twenty-nine percent of those who watched the debate said Fiorina won the contest, with businessman Donald Trump coming in second with 24 percent of the vote.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson was seen as the winner by 7 percent of viewers, while former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) each received 6 percent of the vote.

{mosads}Nearly half — 46 percent — of those who watched the first debate in August chose Trump as the clear winner, although he did not have to compete against Fiorina, who was relegated to the undercard stage for that debate.

Fiorina also saw a dramatic upswing in her favorability following her performance Wednesday night.

Fifty-six percent of respondents said they had a favorable view of the businesswoman, compared to just 37 percent in a poll conducted before the debate.

While 36 percent of respondents had no opinion about Fiorina after the August debate, that number shrunk to just 16 percent after Wednesday’s.

Despite Fiorina’s strong showing, Trump is still the overwhelming favorite to secure the GOP presidential nomination.

Thirty-six percent of those who tuned in to the debate still said they would vote for Trump in the Republican primary, compared to 12 percent for Carson, 10 percent for Fiorina and 9 percent for Rubio.

Fiorina was the most popular second choice, with 19 percent of respondents picking her as their back-up candidate.

Fiorina and Trump sniped at each other several times during Wednesday’s event. The former Hewlett-Packard CEO took Trump to task for comments he made about her appearance.

The real estate mogul responded by going after Fiorina’s business record, citing the contraction she oversaw during her time leading HP and her eventual firing.

Morning Consult surveyed 504 registered voters who said they watched the Republican primary debate. The poll carries a 4.4 percent margin of error.

Tags Carly Fiorina Donald Trump