Who won the debate? Viewers poll shows clear winner in Kamala Harris, Donald Trump debate (2024)

No doubt about it ― participants in The Oklahoman's online poll on Tuesday night's televised debate gave Vice President Kamala Harris a clear win over former President Donald Trump.

More than 235,000 votes were cast by visitors to The Oklahoman's website as of Wednesday afternoon, with 125,588, or 52.9%, giving the debate victory to Harris. Trump received 100,707 votes, or 42.4%, and 10,479, or 4.7%, said neither candidate was the clear winner.

Harris and Trump met Tuesday night for their first and possibly only face-to-face debate in the 2024 presidential campaign. The debate was broadcast by ABC News, and under rules negotiated by both sides, no audience was present in the studio.

More: Who won tonight's presidential debate? Vote in our Harris-Trump debate performance poll

Does a debate victory make any difference?

Despite giving Harris a clear victory in the debate poll, nearly 66% said their voting intentions had not changed, and fewer than 26% of those responding said the debate had swayed their vote one way or another.

"It didn't," said Treavor Blandon, from Wagoner.

"It did not," said Kirsten Taufest, from Stillwater.

"The reality is, it (the debate) only makes a difference in four or five states," said Pat McFerron, an Oklahoma City political consultant who conducts numerous polls every year for his clients.

"Trump's going to win the state, and it doesn't matter if he wins it with 59% or 51%," McFerron said.

Oklahoma is strongly Republican, with its congressional delegation, its state Legislature and statewide offices held by members of the party. Gov. Kevin Stitt and Attorney General Gentner Drummond are both Republicans.

More: Feeling empowered after the presidential debate? How to register to vote in Oklahoma

Asked whether the policies and issues they cared about had been addressed by Harris in the debate, 49% said yes and 46% said no. A minority ― 41.8% ― said Trump had addressed the policies and issues they cared about, while 53.6% said he did not.

Who won the debate might matter only to a few small groups, McFerron said. "Women in suburban Pennsylvania, auto guys in Michigan, or tobacco farmers in North Carolina," he said, pointing out states where the vote has been close in recent elections, and which offer enough electoral votes to "swing" a race one way or another.

Neither Harris nor Trump has campaigned in Oklahoma, which is not considered a "swing" state and has only seven electoral votes for the winning candidate. The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry Oklahoma was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

More: What is fracking? Where do Donald Trump and Kamala Harris stand on the issue? What to know

In the 2020 election, in which Trump narrowly lost his reelection bid to Joe Biden, he nevertheless won more than 65% of the popular vote in Oklahoma and carried every one of the state's 77 counties. Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by a similar margin in Oklahoma in 2016, when he won the presidency.

Political science professor Keith Gaddie noted that the Oklahoman's poll was "a voluntary response of people on the internet who want to express themselves" and not a rigorous, scientific poll, although he noted that other "systematic polls around the country indicate Kamala clearly won."

Gaddie, who was an observer of politics in Oklahoma for more than 25 years at the University of Oklahoma before moving last year to Texas Christian University, said comments by participants in The Oklahoman's poll "give you some good qualitative feedback."

"I try to be objective in assessing these events and lay my politics aside, but what we saw was a largely incoherent performance by the former president," Gaddie said. "You know there are conservatives who have held their noses and voted for Trump twice, but if you're a thinking conservative, you have to stop and ask yourself ... is it worth the risk?"

Gaddie said debates can make a difference because they allow potential voters to see candidates in action.

"A debate took Joe Biden out because it revealed his vulnerabilities and his weakness in running again," Gaddie noted, although McFerron said he thought Biden was probably "on the brink" before he got on the stage with Trump.

What voters in the poll said about the candidates

Here is a selection of comments from participants in The Oklahoman's poll, some of them visiting the paper's website from other states.

● "Trump was off-balance from the beginning handshake. He continually went off on tangents about completely false subjects and couldn't focus on the now. He looked old and unprepared."

— Susan Garrett, Oklahoma City

● "45 has no character or integrity. He says the most ridiculous things and people no longer care or hate more than they desire truth."

— Kevin Peterson, Edmond

● "More times than none, Kamala answered the questions presented to her, while Trump whined about who knows what he was saying? It was hard trying to figure out what he was aiming for?! I'm a HALEY VOTER for HARRIS."

— Roger R., Fort Worth, Texas

● "This debate was biased against Donald Trump; it was obvious and just made my support more for him. They didn't fact check Kamala once, hell, she was probably given the questions prior to the debate."

— Greg Morphis, Bentonville, Arkansas

● "Confirmed Harris is the clear choice."

— Tonya Mccay, Bartlesville

● "Trump can’t even answer a simple question. Wants to continue on about his rallies and how great they are. His own vice president that won’t even endorse him. Trump tried to have him hanged."

― Linda Cravens, Oklahoma City, watching from a cruise ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

● "Donald Trump gave me even more reasons to vote for Kamala Harris."

— Joyce Spurgin, Ardmore

● "Didn’t make no difference because it’s outright clear who’s the choice between the two."

— David Waseka, Gardner, Kansas

● "Trump has a vision for our country, Kamala is a disgusting idea of policy and agenda."

— James Harrison, Pleasant Hill, Missouri

● "Still voting for Harris."

— Karla Bowen, Oklahoma City

● "No impact, only confirmed my vote."

— William Sharpnack, Tularosa, New Mexico

● "One candidate spent their time using fear and hate to disparage others. The other candidate spent time talking about ways we can come together as a country and care for our neighbors."

— T.B., Oklahoma City

● "My mind is already set on Trump."

— Mike Pitman, Dayton, Texas

● "I was leaning Harris. I am now fully in with Harris. She’ll be a President for the PEOPLE, not herself. Trump is exactly the opposite, and it showed on the debate stage."

— Josh Lambert, El Reno

● "I already knew who I was voting for before the debate."

— Robert Clark, Oklahoma City

● "It didn't (change my mind). I will vote for Trump."

— Ann Johnson, Dallas, Texas

● "Allowed me to understand to see the different perspectives."

— Tiwana Burdex, Oklahoma

● "I would have voted for Harris no matter the results of the debate. Trump is a threat to our nation."

— Steven Crawford, Oklahoma City

● "(The debate) just solidified my choice."

— Kathy Phillips, Oklahoma City

● "More strongly support Harris now. She showed very strong leadership skills."

— Stephen Abernathy, Oklahoma City

● "Kamala Harris is ready to address the future. Donald Trump is still stuck in the past and refuses responsibility for the violence he caused."

— Martin Hartmann, Edmond

● "President Trump rambles on and on about nothing. When he is somewhat coherent, he lies and will say anything."

— John Kaser, Moore

● "The debate didn't impact my vote at all. Sometimes we as people don't always say the right things or word things the way we wanted. I'm Trump through and through. The Donald For President!"

― Joshua Murray, Florida

● "The debate showed "true colors" of the candidates to the American people. I believe that under pressure, a president should always remain composed, collected, professional, and informed. Trump illustrated that he possesses none of these qualities and is seriously unfit to lead under pressure. Harris showed an ability to stay focused and maintained on the task at hand. I feel much more confident as a voter knowing she will uphold the meaning of the Constitution and the integrity of the law."

― Anne Roberson, Arizona

● "It proved ABC takes the side of the Democratic Party, unanimously. They were horribly bias, only cared about one thing. Pushing the democratic narrative."

― Christopher Martin, District of Columbia

● "Harris spoke of an agenda that was focused on helping the middle class and moving forward as a nation. Trump has nothing but grievances and constantly berates the United States with weird conspiracies and lies. Harris did a great job of letting the public see how out of touch Trump is."

― John Lott, Nevada

● "It reinforced my decision to vote for Kamala Harris. I keep trying to go in with an open mind, but Trump continues with his lies and hatred. I am scared for our country if he wins."

― Gena Pecka, California

● "It made me more confident in my decision to vote for Trump."

― Joe Cooper, Pennsylvania

● "I am so proud of Kamala Harris. She rocked him."

― Julie McGregor, North Carolina