(Adnkronos) – In the debate yesterday evening between the candidates for the vice presidency of the United States, Tim Walz and JD Vance, for the voters registered in a CNN poll, both are considered as qualified to assume the presidency if necessary. And virtually none of the voters tuned in saw the debate as a reason to change their vote. According to the survey, the former was seen as the most positive and most in touch with the vision of the country. While Vance, according to voters, suffers from a greater image deficit both among viewers and the general public and has strengthened his position.
After the debate, 51% of viewers said Vance was more convincing, while 49% chose Walz. In a poll conducted among the same voters before the debate, Walz had the advantage as the candidate they expected would perform better. The sharply divided opinions on the outcome of yesterday’s debate are in stark contrast to the more decisive reaction from the public after the most important debates of this year. In June, two-thirds of debate watchers thought former President Donald Trump had outperformed President Joe Biden, while a majority of 63% who tuned in to the September debate between Trump and Kamala Harris said the vice president did a better job.
Last night, opinions on the vice presidential candidates were largely divided along pre-established political lines: 90% of debate watchers who support Trump’s candidacy said Vance did a better job, while a slightly smaller percentage (82%) of Harris supporters tuned in saw Walz as the winner. The poll results reflect opinions on the debate only among voters who tuned in and are not representative of the views of the entire voting public.
After the debate, 59% of observers said they had a favorable view of Walz, with only 22% seeing him unfavorably, an improvement from his already positive numbers among the same voters before the debate (46% favorable, 32% unfavorable). Debate watchers expressed broadly neutral views of Vance: 41% rated him favorably and 44% unfavorably. This, too, is an improvement from their image of Vance before the debate, when his ratings among this group were much lower (30% favorable, 52% unfavorable).
Among debate watchers, Walz increased his popularity much more among women than among men, while Vance’s gains were roughly the same among voters of both genders. About 1 in 5 Trump supporters (21%) who tuned in now say they have a favorable view of Walz, while Vance’s favorability rating among Harris supporters remains at just 8%.
