The Slatest

Insta-Polls Show Split Decision in VP Debate

We’ll have more on who the pundits were calling Thursday’s VP debate for in a bit, but in the meantime here are the numbers from a pair of insta-polls by news networks that suggest—unlike the first presidential debate in Denver—there’s likely not going to be a clear-cut, no-doubt winner coming out of Kentucky tonight.

A CNN poll of debate watchers released right after the debate showed 48 percent of respondents pegged Paul Ryan as the winner, compared to 44 percent who thought that Joe Biden had the stronger performance. That 4-point gap was within the poll’s 5-point margin of error. For comparison, CNN’s insta-poll from last Wednesday handed the win to Romney by more than a 2-to-1 margin.

CBS News meanwhile surveyed self-identified uncommitted voters. They offered a different take, with 50 percent saying Biden won compared to 31 percent who gave the night to Ryan. Nearly 1 in 5 said they felt it was too close to call.