As the 2024 election season progresses, new polling data reveals that Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance is increasingly unpopular among voters. The findings suggest that the more the electorate learns about Vance’s far-right views, the less they support him.
Vance, chosen by Donald Trump as his running mate in mid-July, has seen his favorability decline since his selection. A poll conducted by Blueprint, a Democratic-leaning firm, shows that Vance’s favorability has dropped from -7 to -11 points between mid-July and early August. This decline reflects the electorate’s growing awareness of his controversial positions, which include extreme stances on abortion, divorce, and disparaging remarks about women who prioritize their careers.
The polling data indicates that as voters become more familiar with Vance’s views, they are increasingly uncomfortable with his candidacy. The Blueprint poll found that the most common terms associated with Vance were “conservative,” “anti-woman,” and “weird.” The use of the term “extreme” to describe him also jumped by 13 points between July and August. Meanwhile, positive descriptors like “young” and “smart” saw a decline.
One of the most widely recognized and criticized comments from Vance is his past description of women without children as “childless cat ladies.” According to the Blueprint poll, 50% of respondents had heard of these remarks, with 55% of those who were familiar with them expressing that they were bothered by his language. His views on abortion, particularly his opposition to exceptions for rape and incest, have also drawn significant criticism. In the same poll, 62% of those who knew of his stance said they were troubled by his use of the term “inconvenient” to describe individuals who have been raped and seek to terminate their pregnancies.
These findings align with other recent surveys that show a trend of increasing unpopularity for Vance as more voters learn about his positions. Vance’s steadfast belief in false claims about the 2020 election being “stolen” from Trump has also contributed to his negative image. A recent Data for Progress poll found that 56% of Americans disagreed with Vance’s election denialism. Additionally, Vance’s perpetuation of xenophobic conspiracy theories, such as the claim that the Biden administration is “punishing” Americans who did not support him by allowing more migrants into the country, has been rejected by more than 60% of voters.
Vance’s unpopularity contrasts sharply with the typical “bump” in favorability that vice presidential candidates usually experience after their party’s convention. Since 1980, most vice presidential picks have seen a 19-point increase in favorability following the convention. However, Vance’s rating has moved in the opposite direction, dropping by 6 points after his nomination acceptance speech.
The growing backlash against Vance has not gone unnoticed by Democrats, including vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, who have seized on his extreme views. A new meme, describing Vance’s and Trump’s statements as “weird,” has gained traction on social media. When asked about this characterization during an August 2 fundraiser, Trump reportedly deflected the criticism, saying, “They’re saying that about J.D.”
Despite his declining popularity, Vance continues to defend Trump and align himself with the former president’s controversial positions. At an event for Black journalists, Trump falsely claimed that Kamala Harris did not embrace her Black identity until recently. When asked if he believed Harris is Black, Vance responded, “I believe she is whatever she says she is,” adding, “Importantly, [I believe] that President Trump is right that she’s a chameleon.”
Vance’s continued unpopularity has led some political insiders, including within the GOP, to speculate that Trump may regret selecting him as his running mate. While it is unlikely, some have suggested that Vance could be removed from the ticket, though this would require significant changes within the Republican National Committee or a voluntary withdrawal by Vance himself.
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