Who Won the U.S. Presidential Debate?

In the hours following Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s first, and possibly last, in-person face-off, political commentators and unofficial polls seemed to largely crown her the winner of the night.

A CNN poll revealed that debate watchers declared Harris a winner by a comfortable 63-37 margin. A YouGov poll had Harris winning by 43-28 among registered voters. Even pundits at Fox News, the conservative TV network, agreed she bested Trump.

Harris rattled Trump, baited him on the size of his rallies, and both she and the moderators pushed back and instantly fact-checked some of his most extravagant claims. While she did not offer much substance on some of the issues most pressing to voters — like immigration — she exuded a level of confidence critics previously said she lacked and left the debate stage beaming as her opponent stewed.

Then, to top the evening off, Taylor Swift endorsed her.

It may all matter little. Official post-debate polls of undecided voters have not been released yet and will take several days, but it is not clear whether either candidate’s performance will change many minds.

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