“Underneath there has been some movement,” Koczela said. “Both Marco Rubio and Chris Christie were perceived as doing well in the debate and have seen their numbers climb substantially from where they were in September.”

Florida Sen. Rubio’s support more than quintupled, from 2 percent to 11 percent, while New Jersey Gov. Christie’s support rose from 2 percent to 8 percent. Both candidates are also seeing big jumps in their favorability ratings.

Seabrook Selectman Aboul Khan was one of the Republicans surveyed. He sees Rubio as a “Reaganesque” figure who can bring the GOP together and broaden its appeal.

“[It] looks like he wants to unite everybody, don’t look like he’s dividing the groups — the immigrants, the minorities and other aspects of society,” Khan said. “And wherever we’re going, winning the presidency, he wants to take everybody with him.”