Biden Tops Trump in CNN Instant Poll on Debate: 53% – 39%
Democratic challenger Joe Biden won the second and final presidential debate, according to a CNN instant poll of debate watchers, beating President Donald Trump 53% – 39%
Biden’s edge over Trump narrowed somewhat from his resounding victory at the first presidential debate three weeks ago, where he beat the incumbent in the same poll 60% – 28%. Biden’s win marked a clean sweep for the Democratic ticket in debates, as Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris was judged the winner in CNN’s instant poll, 59% – 38%, over Mike Pence at the vice presidential debate in early October.
CNN’s political director David Chalian ran thought the results with anchor Jake Tapper nearly 90 minutes after the debate concluded. Before revealing the final numbers, however, Chalian noted that the surveyed respondents broke very evenly along party lines, with 32% Democrats, 31% Republicans, and 37% Independent.
“With that in mind, the winner of this debate was Joe Biden, among these debate watchers. 53% said Biden. 39% said Donald Trump,” Chalian noted.
On favorability ratings, Chalian then revealed that the debate barely budged voters’ minds, with Biden gaining just one percentage point, from 55% before the debate to 56% after, and Trump losing one percentage point, from from 42% before to 41% after.
But when it came to fairness of the candidates’ attacks on their opponents, a yawning gap opened up amongst debate watchers. When Trump repeatedly brought up unsubstantiated claims about Biden’s son, Hunter, as well as Biden himself, only half of debate watchers found it “fair,” with 49% calling it unfair. Biden’s attacks on Trump, though, resonated as more relevant, with 73% rating them as “fair,” and just 26% saying the opposite.
“So definitely, on the truth meter, the attack meter, it was a Biden advantage, there,” Chalian said. “But again, those favorability ratings, not moving. To me, that suggests the race leaves thsi debate as it entered it. Which, right, as you know, is advantage Biden.”
Watch the video above, via CNN.
