Polls Say Biden Won the VP Debate

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:16 am

Two polls, one of uncommitted voters done by CBS, and one of debate watchers done by CNN say that Joe Biden won the debate against Sarah Palin. However it seems that the debate neither helped nor hurt either campaign.

The CBS poll of uncommitted voters broke down as 46% thought Joe Biden won, 33% thought the debate was a tie, and 21% thought Sarah Palin won. The CNN poll found debate watchers favoring Biden 51%-36%. The one thing that the CBS poll of uncommitted voters pointed out was that among uncommitted voters there was very little movement. Eighteen percent of those surveyed now say that they support Obama-Biden, and 10% now support McCain-Palin. Seventy one percent are still uncommitted.

According to the CBS poll, both candidates improved their standing on the issues. Sixty six percent of those surveyed said that Palin was knowledgeable on the issues, compared to 43% before the debate. Joe Biden is now almost unanimously considered knowledgeable on the issues. Ninety eight percent of those asked, said that Biden was knowledgeable. This is up from 79% before the debate. Biden still dominates Palin on the question of preparedness to be president, 97%-55%, and Palin only slightly improved the perception that she is ready to step in and be president from, 35% to 44%.

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What Palin did accomplish is that she may no longer be a national joke, but her performance tonight did not help the Republican ticket. I think these early polls gave Biden the win on the debate because people really want change, and they want answers to their questions. Palin’s debate approach mirrored the trust us attitude of the Bush administration. This why conservatives probably loved it, but her routine isn’t likely to play well with Independents and undecided voters. Palin didn’t deliver the game changer and the all the momentum is still trending towards Obama-Biden.

Full CBS Poll

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association