Snap polls after VP debate reveal what voters think of Vance and Walz’s performances

Snap polls have revealed what American voters think of JD Vance and Tim Walz’s performances during the vice presidential debate – and whether Tuesday night’s event has shaped their views of the candidates overall.

The general consensus among network pundits from both sides of the political aisle was that the Ohio senator presented as more confident, polished and well-prepared than his Democratic rival during their first – and likely only – debate in New York City on Tuesday night.

But, according to a CBS/YouGov flash poll of 1,630 voters who tuned into the VP clash, it was an almost even match.

The snap poll found 42 percent of viewers thought Vance emerged as the debate winner. Walz garnered only marginally less support, with 41 percent believing that the Minnesota governor “won” the debate.

Seventeen percent of debate watchers said the nominees were tied.

Unlike Donald Trump’s rampant attack lines and volatile untruths in the presidential debate against Kamala Harris on September 10, 88 percent of the survey respondents found that the tone of the VP debate was “generally positive.”

Both candidates’ responses were deemed more “reasonable” than “extreme” – constituting 74 percent of Walz’s responses, and 65 percent of Vance’s.

The debate wasn’t, however, blip-free. Walz admitted that he misspoke when he previously stated he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests.

Meanwhile, Vance failed to directly address whether Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, with Walz branding his response a “non-answer.”

The poll also found the candidates’ favorability rating soared post-debate with Vance’s increasing by nine percent and Walz’s by seven percent.

For our analysis of presidential polls,