The Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, is less popular among voters than his Democratic opponent, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Both Vance and Walz came into the spotlight this summer as political unknowns. As both candidates prepare to address a huge audience in next week’s vice presidential debate, Democrats are more positive about Walz and the vice president. Kamala Harris Republicans think more than they do about Vance and the former president Donald Trump,
The new survey findings further strengthen the challenge to the Republican presidential primary as voting begins in more and more states.
Vance is less liked than Walz
The survey shows that negative feelings about Vance are significantly more widespread than positive views. About half of registered voters have a somewhat or very unfavorable view of Vance, up from about 4 in 10 in late July, while about one-quarter have a somewhat or very favorable view of him, and a similar share don’t have enough information to say.
Walz, by contrast, is more well-liked. About 3 in 10 voters have a negative opinion of Walz, while 4 in 10 have a positive opinion and 3 in 10 don’t know much about him.
This difference in favorability extends to the candidates’ bases. About 7 in 10 Democratic voters have a positive opinion of Walz, while about 6 in 10 Republican voters have a favorable opinion of Vance.
Walz is stronger than Vance among men and women
Democratic candidates tend to get more support from women, while Republicans do better among men. The difference is clear in the popularity figures for Trump and Harris — but Walz is more liked than Vance among both men and women.
About 4 in 10 male and female voters have a positive view of Walz, while about 3 in 10 men and about one-quarter of women have a positive view of Vance.
Walz’s popularity also exceeds Vance’s among voters over the age of 60. Half of voters in this group have a somewhat or very positive opinion of Walz, while about 3 in 10 have a similar opinion of Vance.
Walz is slightly weaker than Harris among black voters and women
Despite his strength over Vance in some areas, there are also some key Democratic groups where Walz still has work to do. About three-quarters of black adults have a positive view of Harris, while about half say the same about Walz. Women also view them more positively; about 3 in 10 women don’t know enough about Walz to form an opinion.
However, in general, neither of the vice presidential candidates does better than Harris or Trump across key demographic groups, and they are less well-known than the presidential candidates, even among groups that are traditionally part of each party’s base. For example, about one-quarter of white voters without a college degree don’t know enough to say anything about Vance, and about 4 in 10 voters ages 18 to 29 have no opinion of Walz.
This means that as his national recognition grows, his popularity will continue to change.