The first major poll of the crucial caucus state of Iowa in the aftermath of the first Republican debate reveals Donald Trump has expanded his lead.



A CNN/ORC poll conducted from 7 August to 10 August and released on Wednesday shows Trump increasing his lead while his closest competitor in previous polls, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, lags behind.

The poll has Trump supported by 22% of likely Republican caucusgoers while retired pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson is in second place at 14%. Walker is now in third place with only 9% after consistently leading polls in the Hawkeye State for almost the entire year.

Not only was the poll conducted after the 6 August debate but it was in the field during the height of the controversy over Trump’s comments about Fox News host Megyn Kelly “bleeding from her wherever”. The statement, which was widely believed to be a reference to menstruation, led to the Trump’s ban from the weekend’s RedState Gathering, a major conference of conservative activists in Atlanta.

Republican voters in Iowa found Trump to be most effective at handling a wide variety of issues, including the economy, immigration and terrorism. They also believe that the billionaire is the most likely to win a general election and, by a huge margin, is most likely “to change the way things work in Washington DC”.

Trump, who has hired former Rick Santorum aide Chuck Laudner to be his Iowa director, is scheduled to return the state on Saturday for the Iowa state fair.

CNN also released a poll of Democrats in Iowa which showed Bernie Sanders’ strongest performance yet in the state. The Vermont senator was backed by 31% of likely Democratic caucusgoers. However, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton still maintained a healthy lead at 50%.