GOP voters say DeSantis delivered best performance in first primary debate: poll

A poll taken after the first GOP presidential primary debate on Wednesday showed that a plurality of Republican voters felt that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won the night.

According to a Washington Post poll, conducted alongside FiveThirtyEight and Ipsos, 29% of Republican voters polled said that DeSantis performed the best out of the eight candidates on the stage in Milwaukee. 

The poll was conducted from Aug. 23-24 and polled 775 potential Republican primary voters who watched the debate.

The second-best performance, according to the poll’s respondents, was from entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who had support from 26% of GOP voters in the poll.

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From left: Former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty)

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley was the only other candidate to poll in double digits, with 15% of GOP voters saying she had the best night.

Former Vice President Mike Pence came in fourth with 7% support, and was followed by South Carolina Gov. Tim Scott and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who both tied with 4%.

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Vivek Ramaswamy and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley participate in the first debate of the GOP primary season. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson both polled at 1% in the debate.

“Last night, Ron DeSantis was the clear winner and proved that he is ready to beat Joe Biden and serve as America’s 47th president,” Andrew Romeo, communications director for the DeSantis campaign, told Fox News Digital. “The debate highlighted that DeSantis is the only candidate with the vision to reverse our nation’s decline and revive the American Dream.”

The showdown in Milwaukee, hosted by Fox News, was the first of monthly debates organized by the Republican National Committee.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis waves as he arrives for his presidential campaign kickoff event at Eternity Church in Clive, Iowa, on May 30, 2023. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The next debate — a FOX Business-hosted showdown — will be held Sept. 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.