Indiana Gov. Mike Pence Michael (Mike) Richard PenceVenezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump 'And the award for best political commentary by an Oscar nominee goes to...' UN nuclear watchdog: Iran maintains compliance with 2015 pact MORE (R) was the winner of Tuesday’s vice presidential debate with Sen. Tim Kaine Timothy (Tim) Michael KaineTrump claims Democrats ‘don’t mind executing babies after birth’ after blocked abortion bill Democrats block abortion bill in Senate Trump unleashing digital juggernaut ahead of 2020 MORE (D-Va.), according to a CNN/ORC instant poll taken immediately after.

The poll found 48 percent saying Pence performed better, and 42 percent saying they thought Kaine won.

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Forty-three percent of respondents thought Kaine did worse than expected. Pence’s performance exceeded 67 percent of viewers’ expectations.

CNN said slightly more Democrats were watching the debate than Republicans, which was reflected in the respondents.

Pence was generally praised after Tuesday’s debate at Longwood University in Farmville, Va., with political watchers saying he maintained a calm demeanor even as he was forced to defend some of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE’s more controversial statements.

Both candidates delivered a number of jabs as they touted their running mates and got under each other's skin. Kaine, though, appeared at times more aggressive, repeatedly speaking over both Pence and moderator Elaine Quijano.

Pence's steady performance could boost Trump, who has had a difficult week after his first debate with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails County GOP in Minnesota shares image comparing Sanders to Hitler Holder: 'Time to make the Electoral College a vestige of the past' MORE.

Last week, Clinton was seen as the winner of her first presidential debate against Trump, with 53 percent of those polled by an ABC News/Washington Post poll pegging her the winner, compared with 18 percent for Trump. After her debate performance, Clinton saw a bump in the polls.