Walz unknown by 4 in 10 Americans, but favorability rating tops Vance: poll

A national poll finds that the 2024 vice presidential nominees are both still fighting to make themselves known to the U.S. voting public. 

The poll, conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, shows 4 out of 10 Americans don’t know enough about Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to form an opinion. 

The same goes for about 3 out of 10 Americans regarding Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice presidential nominee.

Walz is currently enjoying a higher level of support among U.S. adults, maintaining a 36% favorability rating compared to Vance’s 27%. 

This is compounded by Vance’s higher unfavorability rating among those polled, with 44% holding an unfavorable view compared to Walz’s 25%.

Vance’s popularity within the Republican Party is on the rise. In mid-July, only 3 out of 10 Republicans reported favorable feelings towards the Ohio senator as former President Donald Trump’s running mate — 6 out of 10 didn’t know enough about him.

The current polling finds that Vance’s support within the Republican Party has doubled to 6 out of 10 among Republicans — mostly attributable to a rise in awareness about him and his policies.

Similarly, the AP-NORC poll found Walz maintains favorable opinions with 6 out of 10 Democrats, with approximately 3 out of 10 not knowing enough about him to form an opinion. 

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll was conducted from Aug. 8 to Aug. 12. 

It surveyed 1,164 adults via the NORC ‘probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel,’ which it describes as ‘designed to be representative of the U.S. population.’ Its margin of error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.