NBC's Kristen Welker reveals 'panicked' Democrats texted her during debate worried by 'likable' Vance

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NBC News anchor: Democrats worried Vance came across as 'likable' in debate

NBC News' Kristen Welker said that Democrats had contacted her ‘panicked’ over Ohio Sen. JD Vance's performance during the vice presidential debate.

NBC News' Kristen Welker revealed that Democrats were worried about how "likable" Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, came across during Tuesday night's CBS News Vice Presidential Debate.

Welker appeared on NBC's "Today" on Wednesday and confessed Democrats had texted her mid-debate "panicked" over how Vance's performance could turn the tide on his low favorability ratings.

"Sen. JD Vance clearly knew his challenge was to deal with the likability factor. The fact that in our poll, he's the second most disliked running mate in history. So I was getting texts from Democrats panicked, quite frankly, who were saying, ‘Wow, he’s really moderating himself on these issues. He’s the most likable he’s ever been,'" the "Meet the Press" host said.

Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, faced off against Democratic nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday, at their first and likely only debate before the November election. Media critics later called the debate in Vance's favor, saying Walz appeared "unsteady" and "nervous" compared to Vance's "smooth" demeanor.

REACTIONS ROLL IN FOR VP DEBATE AS CRITICS GIVE VANCE A WIN OVER WALZ

NBC's Kristen Welker said Democrats were texting her "panicked" during Tuesday's vice presidential debate. (NBC News/Screenshot/CBS News)

However, Welker noted that Democrats saw a weakness in Vance dodging a question from Walz about whether he agreed with former President Trump's denials that he lost the 2020 election.

"Yet, that moment at the end where Gov. Walz pressed him on whether he accepts whether former President Trump lost the election and he said, ‘Let’s focus on the future’ — they are going to try to make that into a flash point," Welker said. 

"They’re already in the process of turning that into an ad. They believe that is going to be a way to really try to appeal to that very small sliver that is still undecided, but moderate, independent, suburban voters," she continued.

Voters in a Fox News focus group showed mixed reactions to that exchange in the debate.

Republicans on the Fox News Debate Dial had been unimpressed with Walz’s line of questioning and the dial went down, with the approval staying generally the same with Vance’s answers, but the dials for independents and Democrats took a sharp dive as Vance brushed off the question. It dove the sharpest among independents.

VANCE OOZED CONFIDENCE COMPARED TO JITTERY WALZ, BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT SAYS: ‘CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP’

Some media critics said Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, left, won the debate against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. (CBS)

Liberal media pundits repeatedly played and discussed the clip in the debate's aftermath, saying it was one of Walz's strongest moments in a night that Vance otherwise controlled. 

Several media pundits still agreed that Vance won the overall debate.

"Vance is going home tonight with Walz's wallet. Vance didn't even have to snatch it, Walz just handed it over, along with a bunch of unearned compliments to Vance's fine character," The Atlantic's David Frum posted on X.

"I would rate that the most successful Republican debate performance of this century, eclipsing Romney in the first debate with Obama in 2012," New York Times columnist Ross Douthat said.

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Fox News' Adam Shaw, Brian Flood and Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.