Pompous personality pushing Trump’s popularity

Sexism is apparently a winning strategy in the Granite State, with Donald Trump topping the most recent Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald poll after the first Fox News/GOP debate last week.

Trump took 18 percent, giving the businessman the No. 1 ranking among New Hampshire voters most likely to vote in the Republican primary. That put Trump’s widely broadcast, outrageous statements against women — including Fox News anchor and debate moderator Megyn Kelly — right before the Aug. 7-10 polling period.

Trump is polling higher among men than women, which comes as no surprise. The only shocker is that any women at all favor the man who has publicly referred to women as “pigs” and “dogs.”

Social media has boosted Trump’s presence among college-age voters as memes of the candidate and Rosie O’Donnell are spreading like wildfire. It is unclear, though, if this makes him a viable candidate in the age group, or if he’s just another joke to get likes and shares.

As disturbing as Trump’s continuing popularity may be, there are hopeful signs from the debates and the polling. Former Hewlett- Packard CEO Carly Fiorina’s performance helped balance out Trump’s slurs, showing the Republican Party in a more female-friendly light.

Fiorina didn’t make the polling cut for a place on Fox’s prime-time stage, but dominated the earlier undercard debate that night — and emerged as the biggest winner. Her performance appears to have resonated with voters, as she pulled ahead in the FPU/Herald poll, placing just behind Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with 9 percent.

Fiorina will be the candidate for young voters to focus on moving forward.