Americans view Tim Walz more favorably than JD Vance

Americans view Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, D, more favorably than they do Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, according to a new poll from ABC News, the Washington Post and Ipsos. The Democratic and Republican vice presidential nominees have a 39% and 32% favorability rating, respectively. 

There is a key difference between the two. Walz has more people who view him favorably (39%) than unfavorably (30%) while Vance’s rating is underwater at 32% favorable and 42% unfavorable. There is also a key similarity: they both have a significant number of people who have no opinion of them, so their ratings have a lot of room to change. 

Vance was in Milwaukee Friday, Aug. 16, where he was asked about the poll. He said Walz received a “ridiculous” honeymoon period. He also said once he talks more about the Harris-Walz anti-crime record, he does not think the numbers will be that high.

Vance defended former President Donald Trump when asked if Trump should pivot away from personal attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris and focus on policy. 

“I think that the reason that President Trump has been so successful connecting with Americans is even when they disagree with something that he might say, they know that he just is who he is, right?” Vance told reporters. “I’d much rather have a political candidate who I disagreed with 25% of the time, but was a real human being and was willing to speak off the cuff then to have somebody like Kamala Harris, who hides behind a teleprompter and doesn’t speak to the American people directly unless she’s got a script in front of her telling her exactly what to say.”

House Republicans dug into Walz’s record. The Oversight Committee opened an investigation into his potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). 

Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray asking for any information in the FBI’s possession related to the CCP-connected entities and officials Walz engaged and partnered with. Comer also wants to know if the FBI has ever advised or warned Walz about government officials engaging with the People’s Republic of China, the CCP or its proxies.

“Americans should be deeply concerned that Governor Walz, Kamala Harris’s vice-presidential running mate, has a longstanding and cozy relationship with China,” Comer said in a statement. “Mr. Walz has visited China dozens of times, served as a fellow at a Chinese institution that maintains a devotion to the CCP, and spoke alongside the President of a Chinese organization the State Department exposed as a CCP effort to influence and co-opt local leaders.”

Vance and Walz are scheduled to meet face-to-face during a debate on CBS Oct. 1.