Vance and Walz's pre-debate views – CBS News poll

Most voters say they will watch the show on Tuesday night Vice President Debate and that they want to learn about the candidates, although many also say — perhaps unsurprisingly in this partisan environment — that they are looking to promote their side or see if the other side makes a mistake.

Part of the job of any vice presidential candidate is to mobilize the base, both Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota And Ohio Senator JD Vance Entering Tuesday's debate, moderated by CBS News, they are well positioned within their own parties: A large majority of Democrats believe Walz improves their ticket, and most Republicans believe Vance improves their ticket as well increased.

Walz and Vance are generally described as “competent” by most voters, but the debate poses a challenge for both. Neither has yet convinced the majority of voters about a key part of the job: that they are qualified for it president if necessary.

In the eyes of Democrats, Walz comes into the race with some momentum: their enthusiasm for Walz has grown somewhat since his election. Vance's has held steady, and he generates more enthusiasm among MAGA Republicans than non-MAGA Republicans.

While there is plenty of partisan cheering, the vast majority of debate watchers will be looking to learn about the candidates, and in particular a quarter say they are looking for something to help them make a voting decision. Of course, given how close the competition already is, that could solidify a decision, but it does imply that the debate could have significant implications.

And voters want to hear candidates' views on the economy and immigration and, more broadly, their views on what America stands for. In contrast, there is little desire to hear details about or comparisons to their personal lives and families Military records.

Even fewer say they want to hear Walz and Vance criticize each other.

Walz is considered a greater asset to Democrats than Vance is to Republicans. Voters overall give Walz the edge here, and Democrats are more inclined to say Walz is doing better for their own election results than Republicans are to say the same of Vance.

Another partisan divide can be seen in the way candidates treat themselves, with Democrats and Republicans each favoring their own candidates and disliking their opponents.

And another important metric to keep an eye on: Just as presidential candidates exhibit a much-discussed “gender gap” in voting preferences, so do vice presidential candidates exhibit something of a gender gap: Female voters are 10 points more likely than men to vote, Tim Walz like personally.

For men, it's the other way around, and they're more likely than women to say they like Vance.

One thing voters largely agree on is that the stakes are high: Two-thirds of voters believe voting in this election is more important than in the presidential election four years ago.

This CBS News/YouGov poll was conducted with a representative sample of 2,011 registered voters nationwide surveyed between September 25 and 27, 2024. The sample was weighted by gender, age, race, and education based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and the U.S. Census Current Population Survey and prior voting. Respondents were selected to represent registered voters across the country. The margin of error for registered voters is ±2.7 points.

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