As a general matter, presidential poll numbers this far before an election, especially with a field as large as the current Republican one, do not tell us much.
But the NBC News poll out this evening following the first 2016 Republican presidential debates — notably showing Sen. Ted Cruz surging to the number two spot in the field with 13 percent support among likely Republican primary voters — may reveal something worthy of interest.
(Image Source: NBC News Online Survey: Public Opinion on Republican Debates. August 9, 2015)
