Going into the ABC News debate, a CNN poll found voters were divided on who would do better than the others. Fifty percent said they believed Trump would win the debate, and the same was true of Harris.
After the debate, the number changed. 63% said that Harris outperformed Trump, who received 37%.
Of those who supported Harris, 96% said she won. However, just 69% of Trump’s backers felt that he had won the debate.
Before the debate, only 39% had a favorable view of her. After the debate, that number went up to 45%, who gave Harris a positive rating, while 44% didn’t view her favorably.
The CNN poll showed Trump’s approval numbers about the same going into the debate. 39% viewed him favorably, and 51% viewed him unfavorably.
Among the group who could decide this election, independents gave VP Harris a thumbs-up. Before the debate, 30% felt good about her; after the debate, that number went up by 18 points to 48%.
Fifty-four percent of debate watchers had confidence in both party nominees to lead the country, 36% having trust in Trump, and 32% said the same about Harris.
While most said Harris won the debate, when you dive into the top issues, Trump leads 55%- 35% on the economy and by 23% over Harris on who could handle the immigration crisis in the U.S.
Harris has a 21% lead over Trump on abortion and a 9-point lead on protecting democracy. Eighty-two percent of voters told pollsters the debate didn’t change their minds about a candidate but 14% said it could make them pause and reconsider a candidate but overall they said they wouldn’t switch. 4 percent said the debate made them change their mind.
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