Ohio Senator JD Vance, the Republican candidate for vice president, is facing lower popularity among voters compared to his Democratic counterpart, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Both Vance and Walz emerged as political newcomers this summer and are gearing up to engage a vast audience in the upcoming vice-presidential debate. The survey highlights the disparity in favorability between the two candidates, with Democrats showing more enthusiasm for Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris than Republicans do for Vance and former President Donald Trump.
The results of the survey underscore the uphill battle for the Republican presidential ticket as voting commences in various states. Vance’s likability pales in comparison to Walz, with a significant portion of registered voters holding negative views about Vance. Approximately half of the respondents harbor an unfavorable opinion of Vance, a notable increase from late July. Conversely, Walz enjoys more favorable sentiments, with fewer voters viewing him negatively.
The discrepancy in favorability extends to each candidate’s support base, with a higher proportion of Democratic voters expressing positivity towards Walz compared to Republican voters’ sentiments towards Vance. Typically, Democratic candidates garner more support from women, while Republicans tend to fare better among men. However, Walz breaks this trend by being more favored than Vance among both genders.
Furthermore, Walz holds a popularity advantage over Vance among voters over the age of 60, with a larger share viewing him favorably. Although Walz outshines Vance in several aspects, there are specific Democratic demographics where he still needs to improve, such as with Black voters and women, who view Vice President Harris more favorably.
Despite these disparities, neither of the vice-presidential candidates surpass Harris or Trump among major demographic groups, and they remain less familiar to the public compared to the presidential nominees. This lack of awareness indicates that their popularity may evolve as their national visibility increases.
The survey, conducted from September 12-16, 2024, polled 1,771 registered voters and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. The findings shed light on the contrasting appeal of the vice-presidential candidates as the election season unfolds.