42% of CBS Viewers Say "Vance Wins"
Politico: "Very Midwestern"
CNN: "Rare 'Normal' Debate"
Major foreign media outlets praised the U.S. presidential election vice-presidential candidate TV debate, giving the edge to Senator J.D. Vance and describing it as a dignified and courteous debate that focused on policies rather than personal attacks.
On the 1st (local time), Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, and Republican candidate Senator J.D. Vance faced off for 90 minutes on policies including foreign affairs, security, climate change, immigration, abortion, and the economy.
U.S. broadcaster CBS conducted a survey immediately after the debate with 1,630 nationwide voters who watched the debate (margin of error ±2.7 percentage points). Among viewers, 42% said Senator Vance won, 41% said Governor Walz won, making it a close race. Seventeen percent said the debate was a draw.
Regarding the debate content, 88% of viewers responded positively. By topic, 62% and 59% said Governor Walz debated better on abortion and healthcare, respectively, while 52% and 51% said Senator Vance debated better on immigration and the economy. The Middle East conflict was a tie.
The New York Times (NYT) stated, "Despite several sharp exchanges, the debate was generally polite and policy-focused," adding, "especially compared to the clashes between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris during their debate." Unlike the presidential candidate debate where racial issues were raised against Vice President Harris and harsh language was exchanged, this debate focused calmly on policy battles without personal attacks.
Additionally, the NYT noted, "Senator Vance appeared composed from start to finish. Governor Walz stammered initially and hesitated to organize his points," evaluating the debate outcome as favoring Senator Vance. Governor Walz struggled to answer smoothly, stammering in response to the first question about the Middle East crisis and mistakenly referring to "Israel and its proxy forces" instead of "Iran and its proxy forces." He also made several verbal slips, such as mentioning conversations with parents of mass shooting victims and saying he "became friends with school shooters."
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also commented, "The debate atmosphere was sometimes sharp but substantive and policy-centered, with no personal attacks," giving high marks to Senator Vance for speaking confidently and clearly, while noting Governor Walz had difficulties.
Political media outlet Politico described it as "a very Midwestern debate," and assessed Senator Vance as the winner. In the U.S., Midwesterners are perceived as kind and warm. Both Senator Vance and Governor Walz are from the Midwest. During a discussion on gun control, when Governor Walz revealed that his 17-year-old son witnessed a shooting at a community center, Senator Vance expressed sympathy and regret.
Politico added, "Senator Vance not only showed a polished demeanor but also delivered sharper criticism than former President Trump did in last month's debate with Vice President Harris," while "Governor Walz took some time to adjust and was not very effective even after adapting."
The Washington Post (WP) noted, "In contrast to the debate between former President Trump and Vice President Harris, the two candidates focused more on policy differences than personal insults and treated each other kindly."
U.S. broadcaster CNN described the debate between Senator Vance and Governor Walz as a rare "normal" debate in modern American society, stating, "With little chance of changing the trajectory of the presidential race, the two candidates showed a friendly attitude toward each other, instead focusing attacks on the opposing party's presidential candidate and emphasizing policy differences."
According to a CNN survey, viewers gave higher scores to Governor Walz. In a poll of 574 debate viewers (margin of error ±5.3 percentage points), 48% said Governor Walz empathized more with people like themselves compared to 35% for Senator Vance. Additionally, 48% chose Governor Walz as the candidate who best shares America's vision, while 39% chose Senator Vance. The survey respondents included 3 percentage points more Democratic supporters than Republican supporters.
However, the vice-presidential debate results are not expected to significantly impact the presidential election outcome. Only 1% of respondents said the debate changed their voting decision.
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