A CBS News poll and a CNN poll after Tuesday night's vice presidential debate showed J.D. Vance defeating Tim Walz by various margins.
A CBS News poll conducted in conjunction with YouGov found that 42% believed J.D. Vance won the debate, compared to 41% for Tim Walz. A high of 17% believed the two sides were tied.
CNN's instant poll showed J.D. Vance winning by just over two points, 51% to 49%.
Although polls showed a close result, commentators were less convinced, with many saying that J.D. Vance easily won the debate, while Tim Walz struggled. .
“I think there was definitely a lack of preparation and execution here,” CNN anchor Abby Phillip said, noting that J.D. Vance landed some “punch.”
“I think he overprepared. There were a lot of lines that he obviously was going to say,” CNN host Dana Bash said. “I think the lack of interviews he did with national and local media shows that he needed more.”
CNN host Jake Tapper also said, “J.D. Vance has a lot more experience when it comes to public speaking, defending himself, and pivoting.”
Anderson Cooper said Waltz seemed nervous on stage.
On social media, even Never Trumpers like Bill Kristol admitted he wasn't as good as Waltz.
Polls in the coming days will reflect whether the debate resonates with undecided voters, but that response is often elusive. For example, while commentators and polls say Vance is the winner Tuesday night, a panel of undecided voters in Pennsylvania told NBC News that Tim Walz won 5-1 in the debate. He said he won.
Conversely, after the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, Reuters' poll targeting undecided voters Opinion polls said Trump won the debate.
“Reuters interviewed 10 people who were still undecided about how they would vote in the November 5 election before watching the debate. Six said they would then vote for Trump or not. “Three said they would support Harris going forward, but one was still unsure how she would vote,” the newspaper reported at the time.
