Harris Vs. Trump: Swing State Voters Pick Presidential Debate Winner, Share Thoughts On Immigration, Abortion, Economy

The first-ever presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump could mark a turning point in the 2024 presidential election.

Swing state voters pick an overwhelming winner from Tuesday's event.

What Happened: Over 50 million people watched the first presidential debate between Harris and Trump Tuesday night, an event that could be their only meeting before the 2024 presidential election.

A group of 25 swing state voters made their selections on who won the presidential debate and who had the best commentary on several key election topics.

Washington Post selected 25 uncommitted, swing state voters and asked for their thoughts before the debate, during the debate and after.

Ahead of the debate, this was the breakdown of the voters:

• Definitely Voting Harris: 0
• Probably Voting Harris: 12
• Leaning Neither Candidate: 3
• Probably Voting Trump: 10
• Definitely Voting Trump: 0

Of the 25 voters surveyed by the Washington Post, 23 said Harris won the debate and 2 said Trump won the debate.

"I don't think Trump was at his best – too rambly. He would have been better had he stayed calm and made more of an intellectual effort to answer the questions," a voter with a preference for Trump in his 30s said when selecting Harris as the winner of the debate.

Another voter who picked Harris as the debate winner said the vice president knew what to say to get "under Trump's skin."

Among the voters who said Trump performed better in the debate was a voter who leans Trump in her 50s.

"I don't think Harris gave any real answers to any question," the voter said.

A voter who prefers Harris wasn't a fan of either candidate, but ultimately picked Harris as the winner.

"Overall, I felt frustrated with tonight's debate. We can do so much better. As a country, we deserve better from our leaders and from the discussions that shape our future," the voter said.

After the debate, this was the breakdown of the voters:

• Definitely Voting Harris: 5
• Probably Voting Harris: 10
• Leaning Neither Candidate: 3
• Probably Voting Trump: 6
• Definitely Voting Trump: 0

Harris went from having 12 people leaning her way before the debate to having five definite votes and 10 probable votes, gaining ground from her performance. Trump went from having 10 probable votes to having only six probable votes after the debate.

While the poll is a small sample, it could show how decisive the presidential debate was for Harris.

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Key Topics: The Washington Post asked the 25 swing state voters about several topics during and after the debate.

Asked about healthcare, 16 of the voters said that Harris would better handle the topic, while eight voters said Trump would better handle the topic if elected.

Trump answered that he had "concepts of a plan" when asked about how his administration would handle healthcare during the debate.

Harris was asked about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and didn't hold back in where she thought the country would be under Trump's leadership.

"If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now and understand what that would mean, because Putin's agenda is not just about Ukraine," Harris said.

Asked if they agreed with Harris, the voters were mixed with four strongly disagreeing, three somewhat disagreeing, two saying no preference, 11 saying they somewhat agree and four saying they strongly agree.

Voters were also mixed on Trump's statement that the nation is dying. Six voters agreed strongly with the statement, five agreed somewhat, six disagreed somewhat, four disagreed strongly and three had no opinion.

Trump received 12 votes on which candidate had the better arguments about how to handle the economy with Harris receiving 11 votes. Several voters said Harris dodged questions about the economy during the debate.

Voters were also asked about Trump's statement on immigration related to claims that people are eating pets in Ohio. Six voters said the comments made sense and 19 voters said the comments by the former president did not make sense.

Image via Shutterstock

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