Former President Donald Trump received some criticism for selecting Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate.

However, Trump's choice of Vance was apparently vindicated this week after polling results showed that Vance's popularity numbers have flipped. 

Major shift since September poll

According to Newsweek, a survey carried out among 1500 respondents between October 2 and October 3 by the data analytics firm Cygnal put his favorability rating at 45.4%.

That figure is 0.4% higher than the Ohio senator's unfavorability rating and represents a sharp improvement from the results in earlier polls.

Newsweek noted how a previously Cygnal survey which was conducted in December had Vance' favorability rating at 39% while the share of Americans who regarded him unfavorably stood at 48%.

For its part, Cygnal attributed Vance's upswing in popularity to the performance he showed in this month's vice presidential debate against Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.

YouGov survey found that Vance won debate

A poll carried out by YouGov following the debate found that 46% of viewers believed that Vance won the debate compared with just 32% who said the same of Walz.

Unsurprisingly, Vance was seen as the winner by 84% of Republicans. Nevertheless, 48% of independent voters and even 6% of Democrats thought his performance was superior.

Compared to expectations prior to the VP debate, more Americans now say that JD Vance is a better debater than Tim Walz, better at staying calm under pressure, and more persuasive — and that Walz is more likely than Vance to fumble over his wordshttps://t.co/1t3OOnyqk3 pic.twitter.com/ALD9HeA1N0

— YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) October 8, 2024

Forty-five percent of viewers felt that Walz is more likely to fumble over his words compared with just 14% who thought Vance has less verbal dexterity.

The poll also found that Vance was also regarded as being "better at staying calm under pressure, and more persuasive."

Political scientist: "This is just one poll"

Western Carolina University political scientist Christopher Cooper was quoted as telling Newsweek, "It would be hard for JD Vance's approval ratings to dip any further, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that a recent Cygnal poll has his numbers improving a bit."

"In addition, there have not been any new revelations about him in the last few weeks and there's been a respite in leaks about his past statements. It's been a good few weeks for Vance, and this poll seems to reflect that," Cooper continued.

"We need to remember that this is just one poll—to understand whether this is a blip or a trend, we will need to wait a bit to see more polling roll in," he pointed out.