Vance tops Walz in late-night vice presidential debate performance poll

Many Americans say Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) outperformed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) during Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, according to a CBS News poll that hosted the forum.

According to the CBS poll, 42 percent of debate watchers say Vance, a Yale-educated lawyer, won the debate. He narrowly beat Walz, whom 41 percent of viewers said was the winner. About 17 percent said it was a draw.

The event marked one of the most civilized national-level debates in recent history. There was no name-calling or personal attacks, and the men often agreed and shared their feelings about their children.

Nearly all (88 percent) of those who watched the debate said the matchup between Vance and Walz was generally positive, while 12 percent said it was generally negative, the poll found.

CBS hosted the VP debate, moderated by moderators Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell, at its headquarters in New York City.

A similar poll conducted by CNN following the debate found that Vance performed better on stage than Walz, but not by much. Just over 50 percent of the poll’s viewers said Vance, former President Trump’s vice president, did a better job, while 49 percent picked Walz as the winner.

CNN noted that viewers said Vance surprised viewers with his performance. In a pre-debate poll of the same voters, Walz had a 54 percent to 45 percent lead over his Republican opponent.

While many said Vance performed well, he did not emerge with more positive views. According to the CNN poll, debate watchers had a relatively neutral opinion of Ohio’s first-time senator: 41 percent rated him favorably and 44 percent viewed him unfavorably.

Walz, Vice President Harris’ running mate, received a higher popularity rating. After the debate, 59 percent of respondents said they had a positive opinion of the North Star State governor, up from 46 percent before the forum. According to the post-debate poll, he received the most support among women.

Walz spent time on stage emphasizing his and Harris’ stances on abortion and reproductive rights, while Vance attempted to appeal to the center on the issue.

A majority, 65 percent, of debate viewers now say Walz is qualified to serve as president if necessary, and 58 percent said the same about Vance – both candidates answered that question better before the event, the poll shows.

In Politico’s post-debate snap poll, voters were almost evenly split along party lines as to who would win. When asked who was ahead, 72 percent of Democrats said Walz, while 71 percent of Republicans said Vance.

According to the poll, 34 percent of independents said the Democratic vice presidential candidate won, while 25 percent said his Republican opponent was the winner.

When asked who would be a better vice president, regardless of forum, 92 percent of Democrats chose the Minnesota governor, while 91 percent of Republicans chose the Ohio Republican. Walz again came out on top among independents, with 44 percent saying he would be a better vice president than Vance’s 36 percent. According to the quick survey, around 20 percent said they didn’t know.

The CBS/YouGov poll was conducted Oct. 1 among voters who indicated in advance that they planned to watch the debate and had a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points.

The CNN/SSRS poll was conducted among 574 voters who reported watching the debate and had previously been recruited to participate in an SSRS poll. The margin of error is 5.3 percentage points.

The Politico poll was conducted on Oct. 1 among 902 people and has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.

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