KSTP/SurveyUSA poll: Minnesota viewers likely to tune into VP debate in big numbers

Exclusive KSTP/SurveyUSA Poll: VP debate

Vice presidential debates don’t generally make or break the election prospects for the presidential candidates at the top of the ticket, but they can provide some memorable moments.

Consider the memorable line Sen. Lloyd Bentsen aimed at Sen. Dan Quayle in 1988 when he said to Quayle, “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”

We’re still talking about that decades later. However, it was Quayle who got the last laugh when George H.W. Bush and Quayle defeated Michael Dukakis and Bentsen. The point is that vice presidential debates can provide good theater but don’t necessarily determine who wins an election.

According to our KSTP/SurveyUSA poll, Minnesotans appear eager to tune in and see Gov. Tim Walz tangle with Ohio Sen. JD Vance on Tuesday night. In our survey conducted last week, 48% of respondents said they definitely plan to watch with another 36% saying they may watch. That’s a combined 84% likely to watch at least some of the debate. Only 9% say they definitely won’t watch.

“The fact that Tim Walz is the governor of Minnesota, and a relatively popular one with an approval rating a little over 50%, helps to explain why so many Minnesotans say they’re going to watch the vice presidential debate,” says Carleton College political analyst Steven Schier.

Schier says that doesn’t mean the debate will be a decisive factor in the election. Our survey also shows that only 26% of respondents said the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump had a major impact on who they will support. Another 21% said it had a minor impact and 50% said no impact at all.

“The first presidential debate didn’t really move the needle in a big way for either presidential candidate so it’s unlikely that a vice presidential (debate) will,” says Schier. “Historically, vice presidential debates really don’t have a big impact on election outcomes.”

In our poll taken after the debate, Harris had a 6-point lead over Trump in Minnesota, 50% to 44%. Before the debate, she led 48% to 43%.

View the full survey results below: