CNN's undecided voters reacted strongly to just 1 moment in the VP debate. It wasn't the Pence fly.


CNN's snap poll after Wednesday's vice presidential debate showed Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) handily winning the showdown, with 59 percent picking her as the victor versus 38 percent who named Vice President Mike Pence. But at CNN's watch party for undecided voters in Arizona, it was a 4-4 tie — though the only two participants who said there was a clear winner thought Harris won.
The voters reacted to the debate with a dial, and there was really only one moment where the dial went up, CNN's Sara Sidner said, and it was when Harris criticized the Trump administration for being dishonest about COVID-19. CNN showed the moment and the lines, but when Sidner asked some participants to explain why they had reacted that way in real time, their answers didn't really track.
Sidner did not ask specifically about how Harris did, but she got a mixed, mostly negative bag of one-word responses for Pence's performance. There were three positive responses — "polished" and "confident" twice — and lots of more negative reactions: "shifty," "evasive," "stubborn," "not sincere," "calculated," and "overtime — he kept stealing her time." One undecided voter went down the middle, calling Pence "consistent, because there was nothing new, no surprises."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billions
Speed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates