(LibertySociety.com) – Senator JD Vance has emerged slightly ahead of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in the first round of post-debate polling following their vice-presidential debate. According to a CBS News poll, 42 percent of viewers believed that Vance, the Republican running mate of Donald Trump, won the debate, while 41 percent felt that Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, had the upper hand. Another 17 percent of respondents saw the debate as a tie, underscoring the close nature of the competition.
The CBS/YouGov poll also revealed that 88 percent of viewers felt the debate was generally positive, reflecting widespread satisfaction with the exchange between the two candidates. Only 12 percent said they viewed the debate as negative. The poll was conducted on October 1 among voters who had planned to watch the debate and carried a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points.
A similar survey conducted by CNN after the debate also showed Vance with a narrow edge over Walz. In that poll, just over 50 percent of respondents said they believed Vance performed better, while 49 percent said Walz was the stronger candidate. The CNN/SSRS poll, which surveyed 574 voters who had been recruited beforehand to participate, had a margin of error of 5.3 percentage points.
Both polls reflect the tight nature of the race, as viewers were split nearly down the middle over who came out on top. Vance, a Yale-educated lawyer, leaned on his policy expertise and straightforward responses to win over debate watchers, while Walz, the current governor of Minnesota, focused on a more optimistic vision for the country.
The debate, moderated by CBS anchors Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell, was held at CBS’s headquarters in New York City. With both candidates neck and neck in post-debate polling, the results highlight the competitive nature of the 2024 race.
As both campaigns move forward, the narrow difference in polling results suggests that both Vance and Walz have strong appeal among voters, leaving the outcome of the vice-presidential contest still very much in the balance.
Newsweek also highlighted that both candidates experienced a boost in favorability following the debate, further illustrating the high stakes of this election cycle.
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