This year’s vice presidential candidates both entered the spotlight this summer as relative political unknowns — but as they prepare to address their biggest audience yet in next week’s debate, Republican Ohio Sen. JD Vance is less popular among voters.
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, is less popular among voters than his Democratic rival, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Both Vance and Walz entered the spotlight this summer as relative political unknowns. As both running mates prepare to address a huge audience in next week’s vice-presidential debate, Democrats are more positive about Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris than Republicans are about Vance and former President Donald Trump.
The findings of the new survey reinforce the challenge for the Republican presidential ticket as voting begins in more and more states.
The poll shows that negative feelings about Vance are considerably more widespread than positive opinions. About half of registered voters have a somewhat or very unfavorable view of Vance, up from about 4 in 10 in late July, while around one-quarter have a somewhat or very favorable view of him, and a similar share don’t know enough to say.
