Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) emerged victorious in the vice presidential debate against Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) on Tuesday night, according to snap polls from CBS News and CNN. The polls, which surveyed debate watchers, showed that Vance outperformed Walz by a significant margin.
The CBS News poll found that 42% of viewers believed Vance won the debate, while 41% thought Walz did. A similar poll from CNN showed Vance leading 51-49% in terms of who debate watchers thought performed better.
In contrast, the 2020 vice presidential debate saw Vice President Kamala Harris beating then-Vice President Mike Pence by a wide margin of 59-38%. This year’s debate was a stark reversal, with Vance’s strong performance drawing praise from CNN panelists.
Abby Phillip noted that Walz showed a “clear lack of preparation and execution” during the debate, while Dana Bash suggested that Vance was overly prepared. Jake Tapper agreed, stating that Vance’s experience gave him an edge over Walz.
Scott Jennings was even more blunt, saying that Vance “outclassed” Walz and that the Democrat was “over his head.” Jennings expressed concerns about Walz’s ability to serve as vice president, citing his lack of experience and poor performance during the debate.
The debate was marked by several awkward moments for Walz, including a flubbed answer to a question about his past lies regarding Tiananmen Square. Jennings called it “probably the worst VP debate meltdown” since 1992, describing it as “two and a half minutes of absolute terrible!”
The debate’s impact on the election remains to be seen, but with the presidential election looking increasingly close, every moment counts. According to RealClearPolling, Harris leads former President Donald Trump by just 2.0 points nationally, and Trump leads Harris by 0.1 point in the key state of Pennsylvania.
