What Went Down During The Vice Presidential Debate

Some general thoughts about this veep debate. One is that Pence and Harris both reflect and resemble their parties’ bases better than the presidential candidates do. Pence represents the religious conservative constituency of the GOP and has a background in conservative media. Meanwhile, Harris represents the response to questions about Biden being the standard-bearer for a party that is heavily reliant on votes from women and racial minorities.

Per our survey with Ipsos, the economy was the top issue for respondents who are more likely to vote for Trump than Biden: 40 percent selected it, compared to only 9 percent of Biden supporters. COVID-19 is named much less frequently by Trump supporters: Just 17 percent said it was the most important issue facing the country. Violent crime follows in third place, and the Supreme Court is fourth, with 8 percent.

The debate is turning to the economy. In a Quinnipiac University poll conducted in mid-September, 24 percent of likely voters said the economy was the most important issue in deciding their vote. Law and order was the second-most-common response at 17 percent, followed by the coronavirus and racial inequality tied at 13 percent, health care and the Supreme Court tied at 8 percent, climate change at 6 percent, and immigration at 4 percent.