Trump surges ahead of primary rivals after skipping second GOP debate: poll

Former President Donald Trump has increased his lead over his Republican rivals following the second Republican primary debate, which he did not attend.

Trump took the support of 50% of respondents in the latest InsiderAdvantage survey. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis placed second with 15% while former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley narrowly trailed him with 14%. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie placed fourth with 5% while tech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy earned 3% support.

"DeSantis and Haley are the only remaining viable candidates of the current field of candidates," IA Chairman Matt Towery said. "In my opinion the debates are having a diminishing impact on the race. Absent some major unexpected shakeup, it appears Donald Trump is the prohibitive favorite to win the GOP nomination."

Former Vice President Mike Pence, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchison, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum all came in with 1%.

The results mark a 5% surge for Trump since the survey's prior iteration. It further signals a 3% drop for DeSantis and an equal gain for Haley. Ramaswamy saw his support fall by more than half after earning 7% in the August survey.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.