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WHO WON THE VP DEBATE? VOTERS WEIGH IN ON HOW VANCE AND WALZ PERFORMED.

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By Eric Lau
, 
Adrián Blanco
, 
Scott Clement
, 
Emily Guskin
, 
Dan Keating
and 
Aadit Tambe
Updated October 2, 2024 at 8:02 a.m. EDT|Published October 1, 2024 at 3:15 p.m.
EDT
4 min
5134
Sorry, a summary is not available for this article at this time. Please try
again later.

Walz performed better

8 people



Vance performed better

14 people



On Tuesday, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) faced off in
a vice-presidential debate for what could be the last time that Americans hear
from either presidential ticket on the debate stage before Election Day.

The stakes were high for a vice-presidential debate, so The Washington Post once
again asked uncommitted, swing-state voters in real time about their reactions
to Tuesday’s debate.

They thought Vance performed better, regardless of how they plan to vote in
November.

Participants’ answers are edited for clarity and style.

Walz performed better
“Vance’s lack of acknowledgement that Trump lost the 2020 election was very
concerning. If he had been in Pence’s shoes on Jan. 6 that year, then we would
no longer have the democracy that we have today. This should be a huge red flag
for those who are undecided voters.”
Has a preference for Harris
April26, Ariz.
Walz performed better
“Vance did a fantastic job of showcasing what could be the future of Republican
presidential candidates. He was poised and articulate and civil. But he is
partnering with the exact opposite in Donald Trump. Trump's policies have proven
to be dangerous and divisive. I cannot vote for a bully or for a campaign based
in hate.”
Has a preference for Harris
Christopher31, Wis.
Vance performed better
“I found this debate to be very amicable. They both seemed to care about the
American people and were agreeable to what each other had to say. I’ve never
seen a debate like tonight’s.”
Has a preference for Trump
Heather39, Pa.
Vance performed better
“Vance is very well spoken and sounds like he is more sound minded than Trump.”
Has a preference for Harris
Kimberly35, Mich.
Vance performed better
“I think he was addressing the future and Walz played more to the past. Vance
presented plans on most issues.”
Has a preference for Trump
Konnie56, Pa.
Walz performed better
“Walz also criticized Trump some, but most of his energy was focused on his and
Harris’s intentions to repair and create a better nation. Vance came across as
confident but soulless, and Walz came across as caring and genuine.”
Has a preference for Harris
Marianne61, Ga.
Vance performed better
“[Vance] was very informed, direct, respectful, personal and outcome driven. I
was quite impressed with his performance.”
Has a preference for Trump
Melisa42, Ariz.
Story continues below advertisement
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In fact, the vice-presidential debate mostly reinforced how voters were leaning
before the debate.

Chart showing how undecided voters changed their preferences after the debate.

PRE-DEBATE

POST-DEBATE

Definitely

Harris

+6

Probably

Harris

Probably

Harris

+1

Neither

Neither

Probably

Trump

Probably

Trump

+1

Definitely

Trump

+5

PRE-DEBATE

Probably

Harris-Walz

Probably

Trump-Vance

Neither

+1

+6

+1

+5

POST-DEBATE

Definitely

Harris-Walz

Probably

Harris-Walz

Probably

Trump-Vance

Definitely

Trump-Vance

Neither

Among the 12 voters who leaned toward former President Donald Trump and Vance
before the debate, five said they would “definitely” vote for Trump afterward.
Seven said they would still probably vote for Trump.

And among the nine voters who leaned toward Vice President Kamala Harris and
Walz before the debate, six said they would definitely support Harris after the
debate. Two said they would probably vote for Harris. One switched to probably
backing Trump.

Finally, among the two voters who were undecided before the debate, one said
they would probably vote for Harris and one said they would vote for a
third-party candidate.

Here are seven key moments we asked voters about:

98 MINUTES IN — DEMOCRACY


DO YOU AGREE WITH WALZ THAT TRUMP TRIED TO OVERTURN THE 2020 ELECTION?

On Trump, Walz said “On January 6th, for the first time in American history that
a president or anyone tried to overturn a fair election and the peaceful
transfer of power.”

Disagree strongly

3 people



Disagree somewhat

4 people



Neither agree nor disagree

4 people



Agree somewhat

5 people



Agree strongly

7 people


Agree strongly
“Walz said this because Trump incited an insurrection on January 6th to try to
overturn the election.”
April26, Ariz.
Disagree somewhat
“The media obscured the event; protestors were allowed into the buildings and
Trump never directly commanded anyone to overturn the allegedly fair election.”
Cory26, Pa.
Agree strongly
“We all watched in real time as hundred of lackeys stormed the Capitol and
threatened and harmed people. The fact that Vance is trying to downplay that and
claim that being banned from Facebook for a terms of service violation is the
same as inciting a riot is idiotic and a little revolting. ”
Dylan19, Mich.
Agree somewhat
“Trump did not accept that he lost the last election and was a threat to
democracy by his actions on January 6th.”
Jennifer53, Wis.
Neither agree nor disagree
“I dont really think the election was fair, but I do think Trump influenced
people to protest that way.”
Taylor29, Pa.

81 MINUTES IN — HEALTH CARE

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WHO MADE BETTER ARGUMENTS ON HEALTH CARE?

In a discussion on the Affordable Care Act, Walz argued that Trump and Vance
would weaken coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions. Vance falsely
claimed that Trump tried to make the 2010 law, commonly known as Obamacare,
stronger.

Walz

15 people



Vance

8 people


Walz
“Walz seems like he is trying to make sure everyone can have health care
affordably.”
Crystal24, Wis.
Walz
“People with pre-existing conditions deserve affordable health care as well.”
Kimberly35, Mich.
Walz
“ I don’t think either did great, but Walz is from Minnesota and that state is
No. 1 on health care.”
Konnie56, Pa.
Vance
“I lost my state health care after Biden became president because I make too
much money. I was on state health care under Trump making the same amount of
money and was never kicked off. I cannot afford health care. Something needs to
be done.”
Taylor29, Pa.

66 MINUTES IN — SCHOOL SHOOTINGS


WHO MADE BETTER ARGUMENTS ON PREVENTING SCHOOL SHOOTINGS?

Pressed on the epidemic of gun violence, especially in schools, Vance called for
increasing security in schools, with stronger door locks, windows and resource
officers. Walz said there were reasonable steps to take on gun legislation while
protecting Second Amendment rights.

Walz

12 people



Vance

10 people


Walz
“Vance called for stronger windows and doors and more school resource officers.
These have already been done and haven’t worked.”
Christopher31, Wis.
Walz
“Walz had a better argument because of his strong stance on gun safety and the
importance of it. It’s more than just having children that go to school and
wanting them to feel safe. It's about everyone.”
Latavia25, Ga.
Walz
“I thought they worked together well on that topic, I was pleasantly surprised.
Walz seemed to have more solid ideas of how to fix the problem.”
Marianne61, Ga.
Vance
“Taking away guns isn’t going to stop people from getting them.”
Melisa42, Ariz.
Vance
“I agree that we need to make it safer for kids to be in school so that
shoooters can’t access classrooms. But we also need to crack down on how
shooters get guns.”
Miranda40, Mich.

54 MINUTES IN — ABORTION

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Advertisement



DO YOU AGREE WITH VANCE THAT ABORTION POLICY SHOULD BE LEFT TO THE STATES?

Disagree strongly

11 people



Disagree somewhat

4 people



Neither agree nor disagree

3 people



Agree somewhat

1 person



Agree strongly

3 people


Neither agree nor disagree
“I'm not sure what I think about abortion policy being left up to the states.”
Aaron35, Pa.
Disagree strongly
“It should not be up to the states. It's a woman’s choice about her body.”
Crystal24, Wis.
Disagree strongly
“I believe a centralized government is stronger and Walz was correct when he
mentioned that a state-to-state journey [to obtain an abortion] could kill
someone.”
Cory26, Pa.
Neither agree nor disagree
“I think giving states the right to make their own decisions is smart, but those
bills need to be fool-proof. They need to protect them woman who are having
complications. There is so much gray area it's a very hard decision to make.
Giving the people their freedom to make that decision is also key. ”
Katlyn35, Pa.
Disagree strongly
“Women should be able to make their own decisions no matter where they are.”
Kimberly35, Mich.
Disagree strongly
“I don’t think men or anybody has a right to say what a woman can or can’t do
with her own body.”
Taylor29, Pa.

30 MINUTES IN — IMMIGRATION


WHO MADE BETTER ARGUMENTS ABOUT HOW TO HANDLE IMMIGRATION?

Vance said that Trump's border policies needed to be reimplemented, including
building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and deporting immigrants who
entered the U.S. illegally. Walz argued that Harris had worked with Congress to
pass comprehensive immigration reform, but Trump killed the legislation.

Walz

10 people



Vance

13 people


Walz
“Walz has a humanitarian approach to immigration, while Vance has a lot of fear.
Immigration will never stop; we need better legislation.”
Emily35, Nev.
Vance
“Vance stuck with how he was going to curb illegal immigration by working with
border patrol and removing the handcuffs that were placed on them by the
previous administrations. He we presented facts while Walz attacked Trump's
character.”
Jason41, Wis.
Vance
“The current leadership can't call the last four years on immigration a win,
much less a legal immigration win. Reform is needed and both sides need to
realize that.”
Konnie56, Pa.
Walz
“Vance was blaming immigrants, while Walz was not. I don't think immigrants are
as big of a problem as many try to make them seem.”
Latavia25, Ga.
Vance
“I agree immigrants shouldn't be separated from their parents, but we should
have a handle on who is coming in and make sure they're legal.”
Miranda40, Mich.

19 MINUTES IN — CLIMATE CHANGE

Story continues below advertisement
Advertisement



WHO MADE BETTER ARGUMENTS ABOUT HOW TO HANDLE CLIMATE CHANGE?

Vance said that the best way to address climate change was to invest in
manufacturing jobs in the U.S. Walz argued that America should invest in clean
energy technologies and take steps to reduce carbon emissions.

Walz

9 people



Vance

13 people


Walz
“Walz presented great points on climate change giving examples on how climate
change is a real thing. He also presented issues on how to solve the issues of
climate change.”
Damika38, Ga.
Vance
“Both were well spoken on this issue, but I liked that Vance wants to keep more
clean energy production in the U.S.”
Heather39, Pa.
Walz
“If I had to pick one, I guess Walz, but only because I happen to side with his
argument. However, from a pure debate perspective, Vance side-stepped when he
responded on whether he believes climate change is real. Waltz missed the
opportunity to call him out on that. Does Vance believe climate change is real,
or not?”
Jennifer48, Ariz.
Walz
“Walz described current conditions in his state and how the government has tried
to address them. Vance came across as being wrapped up in the country needing to
make more clean energy jobs. Walz had just mentioned how many jobs the Biden
administration had created. Vance was deflecting, I think, and didn't answer the
question.”
Marianne61, Ga.

11 MINUTES IN — ISRAEL


WHO MADE BETTER ARGUMENTS ABOUT HOW TO HANDLE U.S. POLICY TOWARD ISRAEL AND
IRAN?

Moderators asked Vance and Walz whether they would support a preemptive strike
by Israel on Iran. Both candidates said Israel should have the right to defend
itself.

Walz

6 people



Vance

16 people


Vance
“Vance looked generally stronger, though I’m not sure either candidate spent
much time addressing the question. Vance maybe had the clearest answer — that
the strategic decisions regarding Iran should be left up to Israel.”
Aaron35, Pa.
Vance
“Walz didn’t really answer the question posed, just blamed things on Trump.
Didn’t agree with everything Vance said, but he answered the question.”
Christopher31, Wis.
Walz
“Vance kept talking about ‘peace through strength.’ Walz was keen on pointing
out how Trump is fickle and easily swayed.”
Emily35, Nev.
Vance
“Walz spent time criticizing Trump, while Vance gave answers that explained how
Trump would and has handled U.S. policy.”
Jennifer53, Wis.

BEFORE THE DEBATE


WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING FOR TONIGHT?

“I’m interested in seeing how much they lie or exaggerate, how well they treat
each other and if they come across as real people.”
April26, Ariz.
“I’m interested in the chemistry of their conversation, if that makes sense?
Will they have a clean debate with little disruptions and bickering, or are they
both going to be petty toward one another? Is Vance going to be as unscripted
and off the handle as Trump was in the presidential debate?”
Dylan19, Mich.
“I want to see whose views align more with mine. I am torn between who is better
for office.”
Taylor29, Pa.
“Policy, policy, policy. I want to know why I should support the candidate. As
well as, “The economy, stupid.” It’s a large focus for me.”
Zachary21, Mich.

VANCE FAVORABILITY

Story continues below advertisement
Advertisement



WHAT’S YOUR IMPRESSION OF VANCE PRE-DEBATE?

Very unfavorable

4 people



Somewhat unfavorable

8 people



Don't know enough to say

8 people



Somewhat favorable

2 people



Very favorable

1 person


Somewhat unfavorable
“His presence and speech lacks an objective tone when asked about sociopolitical
issues.”
Alicia35, Mich.
Somewhat unfavorable
“He comes across as aggressive and hostile.”
Melisa42, Ariz.
Don’t know enough to say
“He is more unknown at least to me. He seems educated though.”
Zachary21, Mich.

WALZ FAVORABILITY


WHAT’S YOUR IMPRESSION OF WALZ PRE-DEBATE?

Very unfavorable

3 people



Somewhat unfavorable

4 people



Don't know enough to say

7 people



Somewhat favorable

9 people



Very favorable

Nobody


Very unfavorable
“He doesn’t seem to represent himself well.”
Has a preference for Trump
Cynthia52, Ga.
Somewhat favorable
“He cares about education, but I’m worried about how serious he can be.”
Has a preference for neither
Emily35, Nev.
Don’t know enough to say
“I am unaware of Tim Walz and the things that he did as governor.”
Has a preference for Trump
Katlyn35, Pa.
Story continues below advertisement
Advertisement



WHO WE TALKED TO

We asked participants for their 2024 candidate preference before and after the
debate.

Pre-debate → Post-debate

Aaron

White, 35, Pa.

Research staffer

Probably for Trump

Alicia

Black, 35, Mich.

Pharmacy technician

Leans Harris → Definitely for Harris

April

White, 26, Ariz.

Observatory educator

Leans Harris → Definitely for Harris

Christopher

White, 31, Wis.

Biologist

Leans Harris → Definitely for Harris

Cory

White, 26, Pa.

Student

Leans Trump → Definitely for Trump

Crystal

Multiracial, 24, Wis.

Sales associate

Probably for Trump

Cynthia

White, 52, Ga.

Administrative assistant

Leans Trump → Definitely for Trump

Damika

Black, 38, Ga.

Caregiver

Probably for Harris

Dylan

White, 19, Mich.

Freelance artist

Leans Harris → Definitely for Harris

Emily

Hispanic, 35, Nev.

Art professor

Neither → Probably for Harris

Heather

White, 39, Pa.

Substitute teacher

Probably for Trump

Jason

Multiracial, 41, Wis.

Retired military

Leans Trump → Definitely for Trump

Jennifer

White, 53, Wis.

Accounting assistant

Probably for Trump

Jennifer

White, 48, Ariz.

Instructional designer

Neither

Katlyn

White, 35, Pa.

Part-time cake decorator

Leans Trump → Definitely for Trump

Kimberly

White, 35, Mich.

Hospitality specialist

Leans Harris → Definitely for Harris

Konnie

White, 56, Pa.

Compliance officer

Probably for Trump

Latavia

Black, 25, Ga.

Social services

Probably for Harris

Marianne

White, 61, Ga.

Retired

Leans Harris → Definitely for Harris

Melisa

White, 42, Ariz.

Parent

Leans Trump → Definitely for Trump

Miranda

White, 40, Mich.

Parent

Leans Harris → Probably for Trump

Taylor

White, 29, Pa.

Admin

Probably for Trump

Zachary

White, 21, Mich.

Student

Probably for Trump

Our group is too small to capture how uncommitted swing-state voters feel
overall, but it still offers an intimate window into how uncommitted voters, who
will be some of the most important voters this election, are thinking and
feeling about the debate in real time.

Story continues below advertisement
Advertisement


Additional development by Jake Crump. Editing by Sarah Frostenson, Kevin
Uhrmacher, Donna Cassata and Betty Chavarria.

The debate reaction group was conducted during and after the Oct. 1 debate by
SSRS for The Washington Post and George Mason University’s Schar School of
Policy and Government. The participants responded to a spring Post-Schar School
poll of voters in six swing states, and all said they were undecided or
“probably” voting for Harris or Trump before the debate.


ELECTION 2024

Follow live updates on the 2024 election and Vice President Kamala Harris and
former president Donald Trump from our reporters on the campaign trail and in
Washington.

VP debate: Here are fact checks and key takeaways from the vice-presidential
debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz. The Washington Post once again asked
swing-state voters for their real-time reactions to the debate, here’s what they
had to say on who won.

Policy positions: We’ve collected Harris’s and Trump’s stances on the most
important issues — abortion, economic policy, immigration and more.

Presidential polls: Check out how Harris and Trump stack up, according to The
Washington Post’s presidential polling averages of seven battleground states.
We’ve identified eight possible paths to victory based on the candidates’
current standing in the polls.

Senate control: Senate Democrats are at risk of losing their slim 51-49 majority
this fall. The Post breaks down the eight races and three long shots that could
determine Senate control.

Show more

Election 2024

Hand-curated

Election 2024 live updates: Following civil VP debate, Harris heading to Georgia
to address Helene damageOctober 2, 2024
Who is ahead in Harris vs. Trump 2024 presidential polls right now?October 2,
2024
Vance, Walz square off in what could be final meeting of presidential
campaignsOctober 2, 2024
View all 19 stories
5134 Comments
Eric LauEric Lau is a graphics reporter covering politics for The Washington
Post.@erxclau
Follow
Adrián BlancoAdrián Blanco Ramos is a graphic reporter in the graphics
department at The Washington Post. He previously worked at Spanish newspaper El
Confidencial focusing on data visualization, data analysis and investigative
journalism. He participated in the International Consortium of Investigative
Journalist’s Paradise Papers investigation.@AdrianBlancoR
Follow
Scott ClementScott Clement is the polling director for The Washington Post,
conducting national and local polls about politics, elections and social issues.
He began his career with the ABC News Polling Unit and came to The Post in 2011
after conducting surveys with the Pew Research Center's Religion and Public Life
Project.@sfcpoll
Follow
Emily GuskinEmily Guskin is the deputy polling director at The Washington Post,
specializing in public opinion about politics, election campaigns and public
policy. She was part of The Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize for national
reporting in 2024.@emgusk
Follow
Dan KeatingDan Keating analyzes data for projects, stories, graphics and
interactive online presentations for the national Health and Science
team.@dtkeating
Follow
Aadit TambeAadit Tambe is a News Designer at The Washington Post.@aadittambe
Follow


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