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Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance came ahead after last night’s head-to-head matchup with Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, according to post-debate polling.
CBS, which hosted the debate, conducted a poll immediately after the candidates’ concluded their closing remarks.
Forty-two percent of debate watchers said Vance was the clear victor, while 41 percent chose Walz. Seventeen percent said the candidates tied.
A CNN poll also showed Vance on top, but the network pointed out that it included likely voters who watched the debate, which caused a five-point skew to the Democrats. Despite the discrepancy, Vance won that poll with 51 percent of the vote to Walz’s 49 percent.
Pre-debate polling from CNN showed Walz had a 54 percent chance of winning to Vance’s 45 percent.
The betting markets also weighed in following the showdown. Forbes said that Polymarket, a crypto-based betting platform, reported that 73 percent of bettors said Vance would be declared the debate winner, yet pre-debate polling showed Walz having a 70 percent chance of winning.
President Donald Trump concluded his live debate commentary with high remarks for Vance. In a Truth Social post, the 45th president wrote, “JD crushed it! Walz was a Low IQ Disaster – Very much like Kamala. Our Country would never be able to recover from an Administration of these two. Can you imagine them representing us with sharp, fierce Foreign Leaders? I can’t!”
Various lawmakers also expressed their opinions of the candidates’ performances as the debate progressed.
Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee also live-posted on X during the debate.
“JD Vance is unflappable, well-informed, and respectful Tonight we’re witnessing the best debate performance by a VP candidate in my lifetime,” adding, “And it’s not from Tim Walz,” Lee wrote.
Following the debate, Lee joined Tucker Carlson for a recap of the night.
On Wednesday, Vance quipped about his debate experience on X and provided voters with a reminder about Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
“Last night was fun! Remember: Kamala Harris has been in power for the last 3.5 years. She opened the border. She cast the deciding vote on trillions in new spending. The border and affordability crisis is on her. Donald Trump, by contrast, governed with common sense,” Vance wrote.