A new Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll finds that Americans have a far more favorable early impression of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz than they do of his Republican counterpart, JD Vance. The polling showed Walz with a net-positive favorability rating of 9 percentage points, while Vance’s net rating is 10 points underwater.
Digging into the crosstabs spells even more trouble for Vance.
The Washington Post’s breakdown of the poll reveals that only 82% of Republicans approve of Vance being chosen, whereas 92% of Democrats approve of Walz’s selection. A similar dynamic plays out among the electorate more broadly: On the net, Americans approve of Walz’s selection by 8 points but disapprove of Vance’s selection by 5 points.
These findings line up with 538’s recently released averages of candidate favorability, which show Donald Trump’s running mate to be about 15 points more unpopular than Kamala Harris’ pick.
In the Post’s poll, Walz’s success with Americans who aren’t parents shouldn’t be a surprise, given Vance’s infamous use of the phrase “childless cat ladies” to attack high-ranking Democrats like Harris, who does not have biological children.
A more alarming sign for the GOP elite, though, is the fact that Vance is unpopular with parents as well. Also alarming for the Republican ticket is the fact that Walz polls better than Vance with suburban Americans, who were key to deciding recent presidential elections. It’s possible that Walz’s history as a governor who implemented popular, pro-family policies, such as free breakfast and lunch for all public-school students, is something that these Americans are picking up on.
On top of all of this, Vance has been in the national spotlight for a month—about three weeks longer than Walz. As Americans have gotten to learn about the faux-hillbilly author, Vance’s popularity numbers continue to get worse. And seemingly every day, a new tape or video of him reveals more weird and misogynistic things about his worldview. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has not been particularly strong in his defense of his choice. Only the best people and all.
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