About two-thirds of voters believe Vice President Kamala Harris won the debate Tuesday night, according to a flash poll.
CNN conducted a snap poll after Tuesday night’s presidential debate suggesting that Harris won the debate, with 63% of the vote indicating her success.
The poll has a margin of error of 5.4 percent and suggests that only 37 percent of debate watchers think former President Donald Trump won the candidates’ first — and potentially only — meeting.
Before the debate, CNN had predicted a 50-50 split in expectations for victory.
“This is a complete reversal from what we saw in June,” CNN political director David Chalian said. “It was 67% to 33%, two-thirds thinking Trump won, and only a third thinking Biden won. A complete reversal.”
Harris’ deputy campaign manager also said the Democratic candidate won the debate.
CNN also released a poll of debate watchers, which Chalian said is not much different than that of voters in general, favoring Harris more after the debate.
According to CNN, Harris was trailing Trump before the debate (39% to 41%). After tonight’s debates, CNN now has her at 45% of the vote and Trump at 39%.
“His approval rating went up six points,” Chalian said. “Donald Trump actually lost two points with debate observers.”
Chalian said Harris’s surge was “largely driven by independent voters.” Before the debate, independent voters had a -17 opinion of Harris, but after the debate, they were +9 for her popularity.
“A big change of movement for his favor with independents,” Chalian said.
The outlet held a group session with undecided voters, who shared their opinions live throughout the debate. The majority of people in the group said their decision was made thanks to the debate.
“I definitely felt like Kamala was more optimistic, more respectful,” one panelist said. “I thought she had plans that she was trying to outline in the minutes she had… I just felt more sympathy for her than I did for her opponent.”
Chalian shared that the same percentage (54 percent) of debate watchers said they had a lot or some confidence in Harris or Trump’s ability to lead the country.
Voters were given a dial that allowed them to rate their thoughts in the moment during the debate. If they turned the dial to the right, they felt positive about what they were hearing at the time. If they turned the dial to the left, they felt more negative.
“I think it’s important that we vote for a leader of our country,” another panelist said, adding that she was “better off” during Trump’s presidency from 2016 to 2020 than she is today.
CNN showed that things took a turn for the worse when Trump brought up Harris’ running mate Gov. Tim Walz’s views on abortion. He said there was a “ninth-month” abortion problem. He called the Supreme Court justices’ work in deferring abortion decisions to the states “genius” and “courageous,” calling it “a vote of the people.”
“This is an issue that has torn our country apart for 52 years… they are radical,” Trump said. “The Democrats are radical in this. His vice presidential pick says abortion in the ninth month is absolutely acceptable. He also says execution after birth… is acceptable.”
After Trump finished speaking, ABC News debate moderator Linsey Davis fired back, correctly pointing out: “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it is born.”
This statement is so widespread that Newsweek published an in-depth fact check on the issue in 2023, finding it false that the Democratic platform encourages “on-demand” abortions up until birth.
The CNN group’s opinion changed when Harris began discussing her position on abortion.
Harris focused on how Trump “personally selected” three Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe v. Wadeas they did. She referred to the prohibitions that make it a crime to perform an abortion, with no exception in cases of rape or incest.
“It’s immoral. You don’t have to abandon your faith or your deeply held beliefs to admit that the government and Donald Trump should certainly not be telling a woman what to do with her body,” Harris said. “If Donald Trump were elected, he would sign a national law banning abortion… I think the American people believe that there are certain freedoms, particularly the freedom to make decisions about your own body, that should not be taken away by the government.”
One undecided voter said this was his favorite part of Harris’ answers throughout the debate, calling it a solid, concrete response with examples and passion.
According to Chalian, 42% of debate watchers said Harris had a better plan to solve the country’s problems. Only 33% said Trump did.
Another undecided member of the group said she may not agree with Harris, but she believes the government should not be responsible for people’s decisions.
“I just felt her passionate response and I felt she would follow through on it,” the voter said.
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