Opinion: We want to hear from you. Who won the VP debate? Share your views in our survey.
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As of about 8 a.m. Wednesday, more than 104,000 people across the country responded to our USA TODAY Network poll asking who won tonight's vice-presidential debate. About 56% said Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who is Donald Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket, won the debate. About 44% gave the nod to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Kamala Harris's running mate on the Democratic side.
Even so, about 62% of respondents said the debate didn't change their opinions of either candidate. Could the 31% whose minds were changed by the debate be critical in swing states like Wisconsin? Time will tell. About 74% thought the moderators from CBS News asked relevant questions. And 49% said issues they cared about were discussed, but they wanted to hear more while about 39% were very much satisfied with how policies and issues they cared about were talked about Tuesday night.
Here are some of your views on who won Tuesday's VP debate
?"Out of all 5 candidates who have debated for President and Vice President this year, Vance proved to be the most articulate, confident, intelligent and humble candidate. He focused on issues and not attacks. He recognized opportunities are there for the Republican Party to do better. He had very precise policy answers to questions. He clearly shows genuine empathy towards his opponent and has America's best interests at heart. He is a leader in all sense of the word." — Brian from Phoenix.
?"Gov. Tim Walz won the debate and the reason was pretty simple. He wasn’t perfect, but he was being genuine and honest. Vance knew he was lying and stood there and fed the country lie after lie. Integrity and honesty is a vital attribute from our top leaders, and that is what VP Harris and Gov. Walz will bring to this country. Not someone who says they will make up stories if it gets the American people’s attention." — Heather from Cleveland.
?"Hands down, Vance won. That said Walz did fine. It was a great debate with two candidates who didn’t hate one another and gave hope that the Dems/GOP can work together. Vance was extremely articulate and stayed on issues that are impacting Americans. Walz mostly discussed the problems with Trump and while offering no explanation of Harris’ plans, or lack thereof." — Nicholas from New Jersey.
?"I would say it was a draw. While Walz appeared nervous, he cited many, many facts, indicating he has done his homework and is on top of the issues and will be a good partner for Harris in delivering historical facts and current information. Vance looked a lot like a shiny penny trying to win votes by telling about his background. He had so many advantages in his “post child” upbringing. He also delivered almost no factual material in his debate, simply trying to sell his looks, an experienced debate style, and personal story." — Penny from Battle Creek, Michigan.
?"I think Tim Walz won the debate because he was genuine in his answers and showed knowledge of policy issues such as abortion, health insurance, housing, and January 6. JD Vance is a smooth, slick debater, and he is a liar. He is an extremist on issues, but he came across as moderate during the debate to appeal to more people. He was insincere and mislead viewers who do not know issues and know what the candidates have been saying on the campaign trail and have advocated in the past. The fact that Vance cannot say that Trump lost the 2020 election means he is unfit to serve." — Bonnie from Charleston, Illinois.
?"Vance. He had a common sense answers to current administration failures. He knew facts that are important to American voters. Walz's lack of skill and knowledge of Harris current policy failures was clear. His lack of interviews with media truly hurt him tonight he was totally destroyed by Vance's truly ease of debate skills." — Angie from Johnson City, Tennessee.
?"Vance came across very well but didn't answer direct questions and he flat out lied when asked if he said in the past that he supported a national abortion ban. He said he didn't say that. Lie. He also wouldn't answer the question about Trump losing the last election. His comment about about Trump peacefully handing over power on January 20, (2021). Really." — Tony from Lynnwood, Washington
?"JD Vance had a problem when being fact checked, lied about his position on abortion and refused to answer if Trump had lost the election." — Jean from Suring, Wisconsin.
?"Vance. Smart. Precise. Humble. Polite." — Kim from Aurora, Illinois.
?"Walz. He demonstrated clarity and stayed on track with policy. He was a gentleman and accorded Vance courtesy and worked diligently to demonstrate that compromise can be made with someone you fundamentally disagree with." — Kim from Jacksonville, Florida.
?"JD Vance was poised, professional, and intelligent. He showed warmth and sounded reasonable. I am a Republican who does not like Trump's personality, and I was thinking of voting third party, but Vance may have talked me into voting for Trump." — Bob from Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
?"Walz, because we all know in America that (President Joe Biden) won the 2020 election. JD Vance's 90 minutes of fame is over." — Nathalie from Riverhead, New York.
?"I believe that JD Vance won the debate because for once we saw a debate where one candidate respectfully and concisely articulated logically sound arguments for why the other was wrong, and Tim Walz did not have the most effective defense for the goals of the Harris Administration. It was not only a win for Vance himself, but for Donald Trump and the Republican Party and I think the result will yield more undecided voters leaning towards Donald Trump." — Jacob from Minneapolis.
?"Walz, when you have to blatantly lie, you lose. Vance believes that majority of people aren't smart enough to know he's lying." — Marcy from Milwaukee.
What issues did viewers wish had more debate time? Parting thoughts?
Here is a sampling of your answers:
?"Project 2025! Actual economic records, not rhetoric. The very very real threat one of the candidates poses to the foundations of our democracy. More fact checking! Please absolutely allow more fact checking when blatant misleading comments are stated as fact." — Jason, from Milwaukee, who thought Walz won the debate.
?"Ukraine, longshoreman strike economic policies. Moderators very uneven in question emphasis and factchecking Trump without allowing Vance rebuttal. But Vance still more than held his own." — Mark, from Baldwin, Pennsylvania, who thought Vance won the debate.
?"Ukraine support and infrastructure. Also lack of details on taxes. I wish Walz had pushed back on the Economy that Biden/Harris inherited an economy in tatters while Trump inherited a good strong economy. For Vance to say Trump saved the Affordable Care Act, that there was a peaceful transfer of power and he never supported a federal abortion ban made a mockery of the truth." — James, from Elmhurst, Illinois, who thought Walz won the debate
?"I think the issue of guns deserved more time in order to discuss solutions for safer schools and ultimately a safer country. It is important to know the true intention of the Democratic Party's policy plans on gun control if Harris wins the election. The moderators need to do a better job on multiple levels. First, there is clearly more bias against Trump than Harris due to the number of times they quote (or rather misunderstand) Trump than they do Harris. I also noticed that Tim Walz nor Kamala Harris have been fact checked once by moderators, but multiple times for Trump, and it shows that there is a certain bias against Trump from the media." — Jacob from Minneapolis, who thought Vance won the debate.
?"1. Health care and medical debt (over 500,000 Americans file medical bankruptcy a year.) 2. COVID-19 mismanagement by Trump led to at least 50,000 to 100,000 COVID deaths from vaccine hesitancy. 3. Climate change. 4. NATO. CBS anchors did superb job. Let's have at least 2 vice president debates." — Robert, from Hillside, Oregon, who thought Walz won substance, but Vance was smoother.
?"No question: the environment and climate change. Our south has recently been ravaged by changing weather, Brazil’s Amazon region is drying up, and the Pantanal is burning up, to name a few disasters. And selling off government land for housing because it isn’t being used is a huge concern because it will only add to the crisis of more carbon into the atmosphere and less carbon sequestering into the ground." — Penny from Battle Creek, Michigan.
?"I believe that real-time fact-checking by the moderators should be a given. Allowing candidates to deliver lies, regardless how slick their delivery, is a disservice to the American audience. Perhaps the expectation of fact-checking would “encourage” truthful responses." — Holly from Pennsylvania.
?"I hope voters look at Minnesota as an example of how the Harris-Walz team will govern. The chaos of Trump really scared me. And Project 2025 is a right wing radical plan that I am totally opposed to." — Patricia from Indianapolis.
Who won the 2024 vice presidential debate? Vote in our poll.
As Tim Walz and JD Vance face off in their vice presidential debate tonight, we want to hear from you: Who won?
Walz, the governor of Minnesota, is the Democratic nominee for vice president. Vance, a U.S. Senator from Ohio, is the Republican nominee. Tonight's debate is set to start about 8 p.m. CT and is scheduled to run for 90 minutes with two commercial breaks. It is being hosted by CBS News in New York and will be moderated by Nora O'Donnell, the anchor of the CBS evening news, and Margaret Brennan, the host of Face the Nation.
Remember, you can click in the form to see the answers, and keep reading if you want to share more feedback on the debate. Check back, too, because this file will be updated throughout the night and tomorrow morning as more readers take the poll and share their reaction the debate.
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Have more to say about VP debate? Share your thoughts in our survey
Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote in the poll and share your perspectives.
Jim Fitzhenry is the Ideas Lab Editor/Director of Community Engagement for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Reach him at [email protected] or 920-993-7154.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Opinion: Rate how Tim Walz and JD Vance performed in VP debate