Election 2016 Polls: Before CNBC GOP Debate, Where Do The Republican Candidates Stand?

The Republican presidential hopefuls will square off for the third GOP primary debate Wednesday in Boulder, Colorado -- and some candidates have more to lose than others. Since their party support can weigh on debate performance, poll numbers will be wagered when the GOP candidates take the stage.

In one of the latest polls, businessman Donald Trump showed he has the most at stake. The Associated Press-GfK survey released Monday found that Trump was viewed as the strongest candidate, with seven in 10 Republican registered voters saying he could win the office if he gains the party's nomination. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson was the next most electable -- six in 10 say the same for Carson.

The only other candidates seen as electable by more than 50 percent of Republicans surveyed were former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, also from Florida. Six in 10 Republicans said Bush could win the 2016 race, followed by 54 percent who view Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as having the potential to win the general election.

The AP-GfK survey polled 1,027 Republican voters and was conducted online between Oct. 15-19. For the poll, the margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

Trump leads most national polls, but a new poll from Monmouth University surveyed Iowa Republican caucusgoers and found that Carson took a double-digit lead over Trump. The retired neurosurgeon earned 32 percent of the vote, while Trump held second place with 18 percent.