CBS Poll: Viewers Unimpressed by Democratic Debate Performance

Reagan McCarthy | February 26, 2020 10:45 AM

Seven Democratic candidates took the debate stage last night in South Carolina, as a last chance to make the case for themselves to voters ahead of South Carolina’s primary and Super Tuesday. Voters were not overly impressed with the candidates’ performances, though, per a CBS post-debate poll.

The poll surveyed 1,554 people who watched Tuesday night’s Democratic debate on CBS. Sen. Sanders (D-VT) was overwhelmingly identified as the frontrunner, and those surveyed were most impressed by him, at 45 percent; former Vice President Joe Biden was the second choice at 43 percent, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) at 40 percent. However, the poll found that 69 percent of respondents said that the candidates spent more time criticizing each other rather than making a substantial case for their own candidacy.

Sen. Sanders was also the favorite to beat President Trump in a general election, receiving 26 percent of voter confidence, followed by VP Biden at 21 percent. Most staggeringly, the poll found that viewers were not inspired by the debate, and it did not increase their overall confidence in the field of candidates. A whopping 47 percent responded that they felt more nervous about the primary contest after the debate, versus 42 percent who said that they felt more optimistic.