JD Vance poll/ Tim Walz poll/ vice presidential debate 2024/ Walz leads Vance/ voter favorability Vance Walz/ AP NORC poll/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ A new AP-NORC poll reveals that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is more popular than his Republican rival, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, ahead of their upcoming vice-presidential debate. Walz enjoys higher favorability among both men and women, while Vance is struggling with higher unfavorable ratings. Both candidates remain less well-known than their presidential running mates.
Polls Show Walz More Popular Than Vance Before Debate: Quick Looks
- Tim Walz, the Democratic VP candidate, has a higher favorability rating than Republican JD Vance.
- About 4 in 10 voters view Walz positively, while roughly half of voters have an unfavorable view of Vance.
- Walz is more popular than Vance among men, women, and voters over 60.
- Walz still trails Vice President Kamala Harris among key Democratic groups, like Black voters and women.
- Vance faces a higher proportion of negative opinions compared to Walz, even within his Republican base.
- Both candidates are less well-known than Harris and Donald Trump, with many voters undecided about them.
- The poll shows a potential for voter opinion to shift as their national profiles grow.
- The survey was conducted with 1,771 registered voters and has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.
Polls Show Walz Leads Vance Ahead of Debate
Deep Look:
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research highlights a significant popularity gap between the two vice-presidential candidates, Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, ahead of their upcoming debate. The survey, conducted in mid-September 2024, shows that Walz holds a notable edge in favorability over Vance, presenting a challenge for the Republican ticket.
The poll finds that roughly 4 in 10 voters have a positive opinion of Walz, while only about 3 in 10 view him unfavorably. In contrast, Vance faces more widespread negativity, with around half of voters expressing an unfavorable opinion of him. Vance’s favorability has declined since July, when about 4 in 10 voters viewed him negatively. Now, only one-quarter of voters view him positively, and a similar share remains undecided.
Walz’s higher favorability extends across key demographics. He enjoys positive opinions from about 4 in 10 male and female voters, whereas Vance struggles with lower favorability, particularly among women, with only about one-quarter holding a positive opinion. Among voters over 60, Walz also holds a clear advantage, with half viewing him favorably, compared to only 3 in 10 for Vance.
However, while Walz is more popular than Vance overall, there are areas where he lags behind Vice President Kamala Harris, particularly among Black voters and women—key Democratic constituencies. The poll shows that around three-quarters of Black adults view Harris positively, while only about half say the same about Walz. This suggests that Walz still has work to do within the Democratic base to build stronger support.
Despite these challenges, the poll indicates that neither vice-presidential candidate commands the level of attention or familiarity as their respective running mates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. This lack of recognition leaves room for voter opinions to shift as the candidates continue to campaign and build their national profiles.
The favorability gap is also apparent within their respective party bases. About 7 in 10 Democrats view Walz positively, while only 6 in 10 Republicans hold a favorable opinion of Vance. These numbers highlight a potential enthusiasm gap for the Republican ticket, which could play a role as voters begin to make their final decisions.
The poll suggests that JD Vance faces an uphill battle in improving his public image as negative feelings about him grow. Conversely, Tim Walz appears to have a stronger base of support, though he still trails Harris among some important Democratic groups.
With the vice-presidential debate just days away, both candidates have a crucial opportunity to influence public opinion and shape their standings. The debate will provide a large platform for each candidate to define themselves more clearly to the electorate, potentially shifting the dynamics of the race.
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