Donald Trump Leads in Iowa in new CNN/ORC Poll

As the new poll data rolled out, Trump doubled down on his assertion, made at last Thursday’s debate, that he would not rule out a third-party candidacy – a nightmare scenario for the Republicans.

That could hearten establishment Republicans who speculate that Trump’s tendency toward the inflammatory at some point will stem his unexpected rise to the top of the GOP field.

Depending on the poll, Enten says, he was rated “either the most impressive or the second most impressive candidate” in the debate. The Suffolk poll found Walker in second place with 12 percent, despite the fact that before Trump exploded on to the scene he was long seen as the candidate to beat in Iowa.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been dogged for days by his big debate clash with Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly over how he talks about women – and he’s done himself no favors in the aftermath by suggesting she was menstruating.

The Donald is the first choice of likely Republican caucus goers in Iowa, according to a new poll from Suffolk University.

Trump also leads the latest New Hampshire poll of likely GOP primary voters, beating Jeb Bush 19 percent to 13 percent.

When viewers were asked about Trump after seeing him debate, 55 percent said they were less comfortable with him as a candidate for president, and 23 percent said they were more comfortable.

Among those who watched the evening debate or highlights from it, almost one in four say Rubio impressed them the most. Marco Rubio with 10% and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson with 9%.

In response to an open-ended question, Carson was most often mentioned, both for his closing remarks and his joking comments about brain surgery.

In spite of Trump’s appeal and numbers, it seems he is still no match against the Democrats main candidate, Hillary Clinton. So was the confrontation between New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Kentucky Sen.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina – the standout during the 5 p.m. debate – were tied at 7 percent.

“In the absence of a debate, Trump’s lead widens because he swallows up the political oxygen, but when that oxygen is spread out more evenly in a debate, it breathes life into the other candidates, and the race gets closer”, said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston. Ohio Gov. John Kasich is at 3%, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Paul and Christie at 2%.