Report: In the 2024 Presidential Election, Who's Weird?

The September 2024 Daily Kos/Civiqs Poll asked 1,041 registered voters in the United States about the 2024 presidential election, views of the candidates, and the September 10 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

Views of the Presidential Candidates

The 2024 presidential campaign has featured politicians – particularly Democrats – using the word “weird” to describe their opponents. When it comes to the Republican ticket, a majority of voters agree: 54% think Donald Trump is weird, and 51% think JD Vance is weird. Opinions on who is weird are split by party, but 10% of Republicans say Trump is weird, as do 55% of Independents, and 94% of Democrats.

A significant number of voters also think Kamala Harris (42%) and Tim Walz (41%) are weird. As with the Republican candidates, views of the Democratic candidates depend on voters’ party: 83% of Republicans think Harris is weird, as do 42% of Independents. Among Democrats, 6% say Harris is weird.

By a margin of 51% to 41%, voters say that Kamala Harris has a better temperament than Donald Trump to be president. Nearly all Democrats (95%) say Harris and 88% of Republicans say Trump, but Harris wins out among Independents, 47% to 38%.

More voters have a favorable opinion of Kamala Harris in September 2024 (46%) than in the July 2024 Daily Kos/Civiqs poll (43%). Tim Walz is the most favorably viewed politician on either the Democratic or Republican presidential ticket, with a 47% favorable rating. More detailed breakdowns of Harris and Walz favorable ratings are updated daily on the Civiqs website.

Republican candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance have lower favorable ratings: 42% favorable for Trump, and 38% for Vance. These findings are consistent with Civiqs’ daily tracking on the favorable ratings of Trump and Vance.

The September 10 Presidential Debate

The presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on September 10 attracted a great deal of voter interest. Fully 69% say they watched all or most of it, with another 19% who saw highlights later. Only 12% of voters indicated watching none of the debate. Democrats were more likely than Republicans to tune in: 77% of Democrats say they watched most or all of the debate, compared to 64% of Republicans.

Most voters (53%) think that Kamala Harris won the debate. Just 31% say Trump won, 7% say it was a tie, and 9% are unsure. Of those who say they watched most or all of the debate, 60% think Harris won. While 94% of Democrats believe Harris won the debate, just 66% of Republicans think Trump won.

Voters want another debate before the election. Overall, 58% would like a second debate. Although Trump has said he will not debate again, a plurality of Republican voters (46% for, 42% against) say they want another debate.

Stakes of the Presidential Election

Nearly all Americans (96%) believe that the outcome of the 2024 presidential election will have a significant impact on the direction of the country.

There are some small differences on who believes the outcome of the election will impact them personally. Overall, 85% of Americans think the election will impact them personally, but more Republicans feel this way (93%) than Democrats (85%) or Independents (77%). Young voters aged 18-34 are the least likely to believe that the outcome of the 2024 presidential election will impact them personally.

Considering the stakes of the election, 96% of Americans currently feel that they know enough about Harris and Trump to make a decision about who to vote for in November. A staggering 99% of Democrats have all the information they need to decide, and 97% of Republicans say the same. Among Independents, 93% know enough to decide, with 5% still considering their options.

Civiqs surveyed 1,041 registered voters in the United States from September 14-17, 2024. The survey was conducted online, among selected members of the Civiqs research panel. Sampled individuals were emailed by Civiqs and responded using a personalized link to the survey at civiqs.com. The survey results are weighted by age, race, gender, education, party identification, and region to be representative of the population of registered voters in the United States. The general design effect due to weighting is 1.09. The survey has a margin of error of ±3.2% at the 95% confidence level, accounting for the design effect.