When Donald Trump chose J.D. Vance as his running mate, he wasn’t the obvious choice, and his popularity has only decreased since then.
According to recent polls, Vance has received a significantly low level of support from American voters, making him the least popular non-incumbent vice presidential candidate since 1980. FiveThirtyEight polling average reveals that Vance’s popularity has plummeted by 8.8 percentage points since his candidacy was announced at the Republican National Convention.
According to a recent poll conducted by Public Policy Polling on July 31, almost half of the surveyed Americans, which is 47 percent, have an unfavorable view of Vance, while only 30 percent have a favorable one. Another poll conducted by ABC News-Ipsos between July 20 and July 27 showed a nine-point decrease in Vance’s favorability, while an AP-NORC poll conducted between July 15 and July 29 showed an eight-point drop.
Unlike other recent vice presidential nominees, who were able to maintain a positive image in the weeks following their nominations, this time around the situation is quite different.
According to The Washington Post, Vance has lost significant support from certain voting blocs such as women, independents, and Black voters. These groups have turned away from him en masse, resulting in a double-digit decline in his favorability among them. Additionally, Vance’s reputation has taken a hit among college-educated voters, with his image declining by 28 percent, as reported by an August Marist poll.
Despite the unclear benefits of this strategy for the campaign, Donald Trump has continued to send Vance to campaign events throughout the week, even though the Republican presidential nominee himself has remained largely absent from public view. It is worth noting, however, that Vance’s appeal to voters is relatively low.