At the debate, Mike Pence has the difficult task of defending Donald Trump

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has been practicing for the one and only vice presidential debate for a month, but even that hasn't reassured Republicans of his hopes of beating Sen. Tim Kaine on Tuesday night. Of the Republicans in Politico's Caucus, which is made up of anonymous strategists, politicians, and activists in swing states, only 74 percent think Pence will win. By comparison, 97 percent of Democrats think Kaine will come out on top.

That is not to discredit Pence himself, although one Republican admitted, "Tim Kaine is the relatable neighbor next door. Mike Pence is the guy you feel the need to impress in church." Rather, Pence is expected to immediately be on the defensive, protecting Donald Trump from a torrent of attacks from Kaine.

"Pence will have to defend Trump and his year-plus of inflammatory comments. Kaine won't," a New Hampshire Republican in Politico's survey said. An Iowa Republican added, "[Pence's] attempts to explain Trump are among the most tortured I've ever seen. … Pence goes about it with all the passion of a dead fish skittering along the concrete at [Seattle's Pike Place] Market." Nicole Wallace, who served as White House communications director under George W. Bush, told Today that Pence "may as well bring a mop and a bucket" for all the cleanup he has to do for his candidate's campaign.

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But if Republicans are worried about Pence's appearance, at least they can rest assured they won't have the same record-breaking viewership they did at the presidential debate. "Who cares?" a Nevada Democrat told Politico of the vice presidential debate. "Nobody cares," an Iowa Republican contributed.

Read the full results of the survey, including how Democrats are feeling about Kaine, at Politico, here.