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Mornings With Maria on Fox Business: Trafalgar Group founder and chief pollster Robert Cahaly discusses GOP Debate on Maria Bartimoro’s Fox Business show Mornings With Maria.

  |   By Polling+ Staff

MIAMI, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 08: Republican presidential candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley puts her hand up to Vivek Ramaswamy while he speaks to her as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (C) listens during the NBC News Republican Presidential Primary Debate at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County on November 8, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Five presidential hopefuls squared off in the third Republican primary debate as former U.S. President Donald Trump, currently facing indictments in four locations, declined again to participate. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

It’s not moving the ball.

So said Trafalgar Group founder and chief pollster Robert Cahaly in an appearance on Maria Bartimoro’s Fox Business show Mornings With Maria.

The subject was the debate this week-the third-with Republican presidential candidates who are not former President Donald Trump. Cahaly laid it on the line

“The entire debate, it was very fiery. It was one of those things where…Trump is winning this election….this thing in essence it’s not moving the ball, just reshuffling the people in the lower tiers and it doesn’t really matter.”

When Democrat pollster Mark Penn raised the point that while Trump could skip this debate and it wouldn’t matter, when the debate site moves to New Hampshire it will matter. Cahaly agreed, saying:

“Yeah. New Hampshire voters want to feel you, touch you, they want to have a cup of coffee with you. So when you have…when there’s an opportunity to be in their state and you don’t come it will matter.  But it should be narrowed down by the time we get to New Hampshire to where Trump wouldn’t feel like he’s wasting his time probably because there’s only one or two candidates left.”

He added that there was a difference between Republicans and Democrats on abortion.

“Because when Republicans talk about abortion restrictions and limits that resonates…..When Republicans talk about abortion they are losing. When they talk about the economy or national defense or the border Republicans are winning.”

When Bartiromo noted that she thought Trump was smart not to appear on the stage Cahaly agreed. He noted that this debate was “fun for political people” but it “isn’t moving the ball.”