Donald Trump won a Villages Tea Party poll this week, despite the fact members think he lost last week’s GOP presidential debate.
The poll, taken Monday, put Trump in a solid first place. Coming in second in the Villages Tea Party poll was U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio who will be visiting The Villages on Monday. Carly Fiorina came in third and Ben Carson was fourth.
But when members were asked who they believed had won last week’s debate, the majority indicated Fiorina was the winner. Trump, they said, tied for third place with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, whose father is also coming to The Villages on Monday.
Rubio’s ascension with the local Tea Party mirrors a new statewide poll.
A Florida Atlantic University poll released Wednesday shows Trump leading with 32 percent of Florida Republicans. The same poll shows Rubio in second place with 19 percent. Former Gov. Jeb Bush came in third with 11 percent while Carson is in fourth place with 10 percent. Carson has also planned a trip to The Villages.