Politics2016 electionpollster analysisMike Pence

Here's What Polls Say About The VP Candidates

Mike Pence and Tim Kaine are even at the start line heading into Tuesday's VP debate.
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By 

Associate Polling Editor, The Huffington Post

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Voters are fairly undecided on both candidates as they set to debate on Tuesday night.
MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images

As Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) head into the vice presidential debate on Tuesday night, polls reveal that voters don’t know enough to have much of an opinion of either candidate. 

According to the HuffPost Pollster favorable rating chart, Pence has a net positive rating of 6 percent, with a 37/31 percent favorable/unfavorable score.  A significant number of voters ― 32 percent― are undecided on how they feel about him.

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Clinton’s running mate is in a similar position. Polls show Kaine with a net favorable rating of just over 1 percent. His favorable/unfavorable rating sits at about 32/30 percent.

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HuffPost Pollster

Kaine is far more popular among constituents in his home state compared to Pence, however. 

A Morning Consult poll of Senatorial approval ratings conducted in September found 54 percent of Virginians approve of Kaine and about a quarter disapprove.

Comparatively, a September Morning Consult poll of Gubernatorial approval ratings finds Pence with a 45/45 percent approval/disapproval rating among Indiana constituents. 

But heading into Tuesday night’s debate, a CNN poll released Tuesday morning shows both candidates are even at the start line: 39 percent of likely voters say Pence would do a better job and 39 percent believe Kaine would be better. Voter support is divided along party lines. 

This all begs the question if VP debates even matter. Vice presidential debates rarely attract high viewership, with the exception of the Joe Biden and Sarah Palin one in 2008. It’s likely that more people will form an opinion of both candidates after the debate, but studies show that VP debates rarely move the needle of an election. 

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Before You Go

6 Reasons Mike Pence Is Terrible For LGBTQ People
He has supported LGBT discrimination under the banner of "religious freedom."(01 of06)
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In March 2015, Pence signed Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (or RFRA) into law, effectively legalizing discrimination against LGBT people across the state. The bill, which Vox called "one of the biggest political crises" of Pence's career, allowed business owners to cite their religious beliefs as justification for turning away LGBT customers.

The bill's passage sparked national controversy, and in the end, was reported to have set the state back $250 million. In April 2015, Pence signed a revised version of the bill into law that included language that explicitly barred businesses from denying services to customers on the basis of categories that include sexual orientation and gender identity. Many LGBT rights advocates remained critical of the revisions, saying that Indiana should have repealed the measure altogether. (credit:CHRIS KEANE / Reuters)
He REALLY opposes same-sex marriage.(02 of06)
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Pence has long been an outspoken opponent of marriage equality, and in floor speeches during his time in Congress, described marriage as being “ordained by God.”

Of the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling that granted same-sex couples the right to tie the knot nationwide, he reportedly said that he said he was disappointed that SCOTUS had “failed to recognize the historic role of the states in setting marriage policy,” but nonetheless noted that he believed “in the rule of law.” (credit:Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)
He's opposed hate crime protections for LGBT people.(03 of06)
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In 2009, Pence was an outspoken opponent of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which officially expanded federal hate crime legislation to include violence directed at members of the LGBT community.

At the time, Pence blasted President Barack Obama for using the measure to “advance a radical social agenda,” according to USA Today, and argued that the law could be used to curb free speech rights. (credit:David Becker / Reuters)
He didn't want "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repealed.(04 of06)
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Pence was no fan of President Obama's decision to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," which banned gay and lesbian people from serving in the armed forces.

In 2010 he told CNN he did not want to see the military become “a backdrop for social experimentation," and said, "We ought to put their interests and the interests of our national security first." (credit:John Sommers II / Reuters)
He opposed Obama's 2016 transgender bathroom directive.(05 of06)
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In May, Pence spoke out against the Obama administration's directive advising public schools to allow trans students to use the bathroom that best corresponds with their gender identity or risk losing federal funding.

“The federal government has not business getting involved in issues of this nature,” Pence said. (credit:Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)
His stance on HIV/AIDS prevention is questionable at best.(06 of06)
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In 2000, Pence suggested that money from a program to help those with HIV/AIDS should be repurposed toward organizations that “provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior,” BuzzFeed reports.

He's also suggested that needle exchange programs, which can be used to help prevent the spread of HIV, encouraged drug use.

Last year, Pence reluctantly allowed for a short-term needle exchange program to be put into place in Indiana following a spike in HIV infections across the state.

"I do not enter into this lightly," he told The Indianapolis Star. "In response to a public health emergency, I'm prepared to make an exception to my long-standing opposition to needle exchange programs." (credit:Andrew Kelly / Reuters)
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