We took our popular survey, The Canvass, to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last week.
Our rapid overnight and morning polling of senior congressional staffers and K Street leaders who were following the RNC speakers provided immediate reactions to the speeches and events that dominated the convention.
Here are some of the most surprising results from the RNC Canvass poll conducted in partnership with independent firm LSG.
→ Most thought Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump should have picked Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin as his running mate instead of Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio). Nearly 80% disapproved of the Vance pick. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) all fared better than Vance in the poll.
→ Most thought Haley had been the most effective of all former Trump rivals who spoke in uniting the party behind him. Respondents also picked her as the next-best choice after Youngkin for VP.
→ Just one-third of respondents (34%) thought Trump’s 90-minute speech would help his reelection chances. Nearly half thought it would neither help nor hurt.
→ At the end of the convention, most thought Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would be the best Democrat to beat Trump if President Joe Biden stepped aside. He did two days after the poll. A majority predicted that Vice President Kamala Harris would replace him atop the ticket.
→ Overall, about half (51%) thought the convention was effective in appealing to moderates and swing voters and 71% said Trump will win in November.
In case you missed our daily recaps, you can find them here and the full results here.
The Canvass will also be at the Democratic National Convention next month, so be sure to follow along.
Want more behind-the-scenes details of our time covering the Republican National Convention? Check out this weekend’s Readback newsletter for a glimpse into what we saw and heard in Milwaukee. And we’ll be headed to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention next month. Let us know if you are interested in attending the Punchbowl News HQ on Aug. 21.
— Elvina Nawaguna
