Vance-Walz VP debate did little to help some undecided voters make up their mind
Will the vice presidential debate between Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, which was hosted by CBS News on Tuesday, have an impact on who voters will choose at the polls?
A CNN/SSRS poll found that around the same amount of debate-watchers felt Vance or Walz “won,” and that they felt more favorable about both after the debate, but that the event mostly did not impact people’s choices of who to vote for.
ABC News spoke with some undecided or formerly undecided voters to get their thoughts on what they thought of the debate, Vance’s and Walz’s performances, and some of the moments that struck them. (These voters have been in touch with ABC News previously, including before and after the ABC News presidential debate in September.)
Matthew Labkovski, a Republican voter from Florida who supported former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley during the Republican presidential primaries, had decided beforehand against voting for Trump after the presidential debate in September.
He told ABC News by text on Wednesday that he watched part of the debate, and it didn’t change how he feels about the Trump-Vance ticket, but that he felt Vance won, “as he was more clearly polished.”
No specific moments stood out to him, but he praised the overall tone of the debate: “Just the overall decorum was extremely refreshing.”
Julie Tetuan, a Republican and a senior manager in the pharmaceutical industry from Tennessee, said she watched the debate Wednesday morning. Tetuan had decided to vote for Harris after earlier being undecided.
She took issue with Vance’s answer on the 2020 presidential election results, where Vance refused to say former President Donald Trump lost.
“It's really telling that JD Vance still cannot tell the truth about the 2020 election and would not commit to a peaceful transfer of power. That disqualifies Trump and Vance from holding office for anything but local dog catchers,” Tetuan said.
She felt that on the other side of the aisle, Walz struggled with explaining the Harris-Walz ticket’s policies, “but it didn't impact my decision. It was evident that Vance was a more polished debater.”
Rebecca Bakker, a registered nursing professor who lives near Grand Rapids, Michigan, had already decided she would not vote for Donald Trump but was not yet sold on Harris.
She told ABC News by text that the debate was better than she expected but not “mind-changing” for her. “I don’t think there was a clear winner but rather more of a picture shot [of] how they intend to support their respective candidates,” she said.
Bakker felt that Vance tried to “avoid the vitriol his candidate [Trump] is known for,” but that he “is still an extremist and will do everything he can to continue to attack women’s rights and the abortion issue. He reminds me of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Walz’s stance on abortion rights, conversely, impressed her, “but I can’t vote for a candidate based on the one issue alone.”
The vice presidential debate did not fully clear up her concerns about the top of the ticket. Bakker said that she is still feeling undecided about Harris overall because she does not feel Harris has articulated a “clear vision” on what she wants to accomplish or how she will pay for her proposals.
Karen Hughes, an independent voter and retired parole and probation specialist from Nevada who had already decided to vote for Harris, told ABC News by text that she found both running mates likable.
“I really enjoyed it. I loved how respectful, and policy-based it was, just the way debates are supposed to be, and used to be, [in my humble opinion],” she wrote.
Walz reminded her of her rural and conservative family members, she added, and she related to him, while she did not appreciate what she said was “nonsense” shared by Vance, “because he seems like a really nice, smart guy, otherwise. I think Walz has more facts and experience on his side, which I value. But, overall, both performed quite well.”
A moment that stood out to her was one that she said reflected well on both candidates.
“The moment that Walz spoke about his son experiencing a shooting, and Vance offering his sympathy was very poignant,” Hughes said. “It humanized Vance very well.”
