Who do Americans think won the vice-presidential debate? It depends on which party you ask, according to a POLITICO/Focaldata snap poll following Tuesday’s debate.
By The Numbers:
Not surprisingly, 72% of Democrats said Tim Walz won the debate and 71% of Republicans said JD Vance won the debate. Viewers put their jerseys on and thought their candidate won: 92% of Democrats said Walz would be a better vice president, compared to 91% of Republicans who said Vance would be.
The interesting diversion in these numbers was with “Others” or independents. Almost half of these voters (41%) said they didn’t watch the debate. Of those who did, , 34% said Walz won the debate and 25% said Vance won.
The Bottom Line: Not many undecided or swing voters watched the vice-presidential debate, unlike with the presidential debate last month. Those who did fell in line with their political party. Very few minds changed, according to CNN’s snap poll after the debate. It was relatively uneventful, with each candidate doing some good for their respective ticket and each giving the media and their opponent things to focus on. There are few inflection points left to shake up the race. Over the next 34 days, both campaigns need to work to get their vote out and persuade the small group of remaining undecided voters.
