The Washington Post/FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos survey found the Florida governor with 29% of Republican voters who watched the Milwaukee debate saying he performed best. Vivek Ramaswamy finished a close second with 26%, while former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was the only other debater in double digits with 15%. The remaining five candidates finished in single digits.
The poll, conducted from August 23-24, surveyed 775 potential Republican primary voters.
Robert Knight, a columnist for The Washington Times, tells AFN he thought DeSantis "more than held his own" during the debate.
"He looked very presidential, he was crisp, he was informed; he did the job – and it gave the impression that he could not only do that job, but the job as President of the United States," says Knight. "I think he very effectively brought up his record in Florida, which is outstanding; and [he] did it in a rapid-fire, efficient fashion that he needed to do."
And while the columnist argues DeSantis furthered his cause quite a bit, he acknowledges the governor still faces a major hurdle.
"It's still Trump's nomination to lose – and if he stumbles? Yeah, a lot can happen between now and the caucuses early next year," says Knight. "I think DeSantis is well positioned to take the lead and get the nomination [should something happen]. But it's still Trump's to have, barring any other circumstances that would prevent him from taking the nomination."
The DeSantis campaign announced it raised a million dollars in the 24 hours following the debate.
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