How popular are VP candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz? Poll finds one is slightly ahead

Now that both the Republican and Democratic vice presidential nominees have been decided, what does the public think of them?

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee, is more popular with voters than Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican nominee, according to the latest Morning Consult poll.

The poll, released on Aug. 13, sampled roughly 2,000 registered voters and has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

It comes after both men have been attempting to portray the other as being outside of mainstream politics, with Walz calling Vance “weird” and “dangerous,” and Vance calling Walz one of the government’s most “far-left radicals.”

Key findings

In the poll, 43% of respondents said they were satisfied with the selection of Walz — who was announced as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate on Aug. 6.

Meanwhile, 35% of respondents said they were satisfied with the selection of Vance, who former President Donald Trump announced as his running mate on July 15, marking an 8-point difference.

Predictably, Walz and Vance were both buoyed by high levels of satisfaction among members of their own party.

Seventy-five percent of Democrats said they were satisfied with Walz, while just 9% said they were dissatisfied.

Vance received slightly less support among Republicans — though still a sizable majority — with 69% saying they were satisfied and 15% saying they were dissatisfied.

Walz’s 8-point lead among all voters was largely propelled by independents, moderates, women, younger voters and voters of color, according to the poll.

While 40% of independents said they were happy with Walz, only 26% said they were happy with Vance.

Among women, 42% said they were satisfied with Walz, while 31% said the same for Vance.

The satisfaction gap was particularly large among Black voters, with half signaling satisfaction with Walz, compared to 20% who said they were satisfied with Vance. Similarly, among Hispanic voters, 47% said they were satisfied with Walz, while 27% said the same for Vance.

Walz also edged out his Republican rival among young voters. Forty-two percent of 18-29 year olds said they were happy with the selection of Walz, while 29% said the same for Vance.

Besides Republicans, Vance only outperformed Walz among one group: white voters without college education. Forty-five percent said they were satisfied with Vance, while 33% said the same for Walz.

Takeaway

Although Walz’s popularity is slightly higher than Vance’s, it could be subject to change, according to the poll.

Since Vance’s selection was announced more than two weeks before Walz’s, the public has had more time to assess him.

Additionally, historically speaking, elections don’t tend to be decided by vice presidential nominees. But given the close nature of the race, Vance and Walz could potentially become important factors in the final outcome.

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