JD Vance breaks polling records in the worst way
Vance is facing record-low approval ratings among vice presidential candidates on the heels of the Republican National Convention.
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- JD Vance has a net negative approval rating following the Republican National Convention.
- Since 2000, VP candidates typically have a net positive rating of 19 points after a convention.
- Vance has long polled behind other Republicans and some are questioning whether he was a wise pick.
Vice presidential candidates typically receive a ratings bump after their party's convention, but JD Vance is bucking the tradition.
On the heels of last week's Republican National Convention, the Ohio senator is the least-liked vice presidential candidate since 1980, according to a polling analysis by CNN, which noted the data applies to non-incumbents.
Since 2000, vice presidential candidates typically have a net positive rating immediately following the convention, at plus 19 points. Vance, however, is polling at minus six points just one week after accepting the vice presidential nomination and officially embarking on the campaign, according to the network.
The freshman lawmaker's lower-than-normal approval ratings are not an anomaly, as Vance has long polled behind other Republicans.
Vance heavily underperformed in his 2022 Ohio Senate race, at least compared to how other Republicans performed in the state that year. Vance only defeated his opponent, then-Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, by six percentage points. In comparison, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine crushed his Democratic opponent, former Dayton mayor Nan Whaley, by 25 percentage points in that same cycle.
"The JD Vance pick makes no sense from a statistical polling perspective," CNN political data reporter Harry Enten said.
Harris' team sent out a press release gloating about the numbers.
"We'd like to be the first to congratulate JD Vance on making history as the least popular VP pick, well…ever," it reads.
The press release goes on to list some of Vance's policies, with the first one being his previous support for a nationwide abortion ban.
Ever since President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic presidential nominee, some members of Trumpworld have reportedly questioned whether Vance remains a wise vice presidential running mate. Former President Donald Trump faltered with suburban voters in 2020, and Vance's selection was widely seen as an appeal to base voters instead of one geared toward attracting more swing voters.
Trump's campaign spent months perfecting its attacks against Biden and has now had to shift its messaging, as Harris poses a different electoral threat than her predecessor. While Biden was struggling to rally young voters and minority voters to his reelection campaign, Harris is more popular with those groups and presents a major upside for Democrats as they need high Gen Z and millennial turnout to remain competitive in the key battleground states.
There's also evidence that Republicans will closely monitor polling over the next two weeks beyond Vance's low likability ratings, as a Trump pollster warned of a potential Harris numbers bump following her expected ascent to the top of the Democratic ticket.