Donald Trump’s rise to become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee followed a lengthy primary campaign. Over the course of 2015 and early 2016, most GOP voters switched their preferences for the nomination at least once – and many switched several times. Below you can explore how candidates gained (and lost) supporters among the same nationally representative group of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters in Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel. Walk through Donald Trump’s path to the nomination or explore each of the GOP candidates’ paths on your own. And for more on the patterns of support through the primary, and into the general election, see “For GOP Voters, a Winding Path to a Trump Nomination.”
