Many undecided voters unsure about Harris, break for Trump in debate aftermath

Many undecided voters who tuned into the presidential debate on Tuesday night walked away uncertain about border czar Kamala Harris and broke in favor of former President Donald Trump, according to reports from multiple outlets.

Though the sample sizes are notably small and viewers are still processing many of the claims made during the debate, so far, the results appear devastating for Harris, even though many political pundits claimed she outperformed expectations.

'You can't pay for groceries with style points. She failed to explain how she's going to help people afford to live.'

Reuters spoke with 10 undecided voters who have voted for Republicans and Democrats in the past. Of those, just three have decided to vote for Harris while six now lean toward or plan to vote for Trump.

"I felt like the whole debate was Kamala Harris telling me why not to vote for Donald Trump instead of why she's the right candidate," said Robert Wheeler from the swing state of Nevada.

"I still don't know what she is for," added Mark Kadish of Florida. "There was no real meat and bones for her plans."

The New York Times reported similar findings in an article entitled "Pundits Said Harris Won the Debate. Undecided Voters Weren’t So Sure."

"She didn’t, kind of, separate herself," said Shavanaka Kelly from Wisconsin, another swing state. Kelly told the Times she's still "on the fence."

Jason Henderson of Arizona, a former Obama turned Trump voter, was even more blunt. "Trump had the more commanding presentation," he said. "There was nothing done by Harris that made me think she’s better. In any way."

Henderson, however, also told the Times that he may eventually "come back to [his] senses," though whether he meant he would switch to Harris or boycott the presidential election entirely is unclear.

Other undecided voters interviewed on camera likewise expressed misgivings about Harris' performance and promises.

"When facts come to facts, my life was better when Trump was in office," one woman told CNN.

A man from the same focus group told CNN that he was disappointed in the Biden-Harris administration's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, calling it a "travesty."

A man from Arizona whose family came to the U.S. legally told MSNBC he was frustrated by the preferential treatment seemingly given to illegal aliens. "My family went through a long process to get here legally — I feel that it's unfair for hundreds of thousands to get here without problems and for the federal government to help them out," he explained.

An undecided voter in Pennsylvania told NBC News he was upset that Democrats effectively boxed voters out from the electoral process by allowing Harris to receive the nomination through delegates even though she never participated in the 2024 Democratic primary.

"Harris received zero votes. I would have liked a say in the primary. I feel like they think they know what's best for me. Harris hasn't said anything," the man said. He also said he thought Harris "stole" many of her ideas from Trump.

Dr. Phil McGraw spoke with a woman who claimed she'd had high hopes for Harris going into the debate and was left feeling underwhelmed. "I really, really wanted Vice President Harris to hit it out of the park," the woman said. "I don't think she did."

When pressed, the woman said Harris' economic plans lack specifics. "What is an 'opportunity economy'?" the woman wondered. "What does that mean?"

Tim Murtaugh from the Trump campaign told Blaze News he's not surprised by viewers' ambivalence toward Harris and her ideas, claiming she and President Joe Biden are "so connected, like conjoined twins, that not even Dr. Ben Carson could separate them."

"Kamala Harris needed to achieve a couple of major things to reach undecided voters and she failed. First, they wanted to hear an explanation for why she claims to have reversed herself on so many important issues. She didn't do that and Americans know she's hiding her true radical self. Second, she wanted to try to distance herself from the failed Biden-Harris administration and she didn't even come close," Murtaugh told Blaze News.

"The media can have their little party for her, like they did after she became the candidate, but you can't pay for groceries with style points. She failed to explain how she's going to help people afford to live."

Mere moments after the debate ended on Tuesday night, the Harris team issued a statement calling for a second debate:

Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris, or going backward with Trump. That's what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?

Trump responded to the call for a second debate by declaring victory in the first. "She wants a second debate because she lost tonight very badly," he said during an interview in the post-debate spin room.

As for a second debate, Trump said he'd "have to think about it." His running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, and Harris' running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, are scheduled to debate on October 1.

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