A new poll reveals that Democratic criticisms of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) are resonating with voters, significantly damaging his public image. The poll, conducted by centrist Democratic pollster Blueprint and obtained by Semafor, indicates that voters are increasingly viewing Vance unfavorably, with many using harsh terms such as “anti-woman” and “weird” to describe him.
The “weird” label gained traction last month after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz used it to describe Vance, and it has since become a recurring theme among Democratic politicians and strategists. According to the poll, this negative perception of Vance is growing, with the percentage of voters calling him “extreme” rising by 13 points over the last month.
Blueprint’s lead pollster, Evan Roth Smith, commented on the poll’s findings, telling Semafor that Vance’s public introduction as a potential vice-presidential candidate couldn’t have gone worse. “It’s not just the favorable; it’s what people think of it. It’s how he’s been introduced to the country,” Smith explained. “Everything has gone exactly as bad as Democrats had hoped and Republicans have feared and everyone suspects.”
The poll results suggest that voters are particularly turned off by controversial statements Vance made during his initial run for the Senate in 2022, many of which resurfaced during his appearances on right-wing TV shows and podcasts. One of the most damaging remarks was Vance’s “childless cat lady” comment, which 50% of respondents said they had heard of, and 55% reported being bothered by, told the Washington Post.
Even more troubling for Vance is the reaction to a 2021 interview with Spectrum News, where he defended a Texas abortion law that lacked exceptions for rape and incest by suggesting pregnancies resulting from such circumstances are “inconvenient.” According to the poll, 62% of voters said they were “bothered” by Vance’s use of the word “inconvenient” to describe pregnancies from rape and incest, with 50% stating, “it bothers me a lot.”
The poll underscores the growing challenge Vance faces as he contends with the negative perceptions fueled by these controversial remarks and the ongoing attacks from Democratic opponents. As these sentiments continue to spread, Vance’s potential vice-presidential aspirations may be increasingly at risk.