Perception among Republicans that Donald Trump will be anointed the GOP's presidential nominee has fallen sharply this week following his loss to Sen. Ted Cruz in the Iowa caucuses,
according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll.
The survey found that 61 percent of likely Republican voters still believe Trump is likely to be the GOP nominee — but that figure has plummeted from a high of 74 percent just a week ago.
Even more noticeably, the overall finding includes only 24 percent who believe Trump is very likely to win the nomination, down from a high of 40 percent two weeks ago.
Rasmussen also found 36 percent believe Trump is unlikely to be the eventual nominee, with 14 percent who say it's not at all likely. That compares to 22 percent and 6 percent, respectively, a week ago.
The new results indicate the lowest level of confidence among Republicans in Trump's nomination since mid-November, before the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris. Following the bloodbath, belief in Trump as the likely nominee climbed into the 60s and steadily increased since then.
Among all likely voters, 52 percent believe Trump will win the Republican nomination this year, down from 63 percent last week, the highest level of expectation since Rasmussen Reports began the its weekly "Trump Change" last August.
Rasmussen Reports is a nonpartisan electronic media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion polling information.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.