Liberal MSNBC host Chris Matthews said Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R.) was the winner of Tuesday night's vice-presidential debate with Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.), calling Kaine "desperate" regarding his repeated interruptions.
"Overall, I think the winner tonight will end up being, in terms of the debate and what they were trying to accomplish, Pence, because Pence really was solid," Matthews said. "He looked like he had his head screwed on, and I think that's going to look very important for [Donald] Trump, who doesn't often look like he has his head screwed on. I think it was very important for him to look like a grown-up."
Matthews said Pence made up for the mistakes made by his running mate Trump in the first debate with Hillary Clinton on Sept. 26, saying Pence's "body language was excellent."
"He had to defend Donald Trump, but he came across as a grown-up, strong," Matthews said. "I thought he was very effective at being a conservative."
Matthews said Pence had made himself the frontrunner for the 2020 Republican nomination with his debate performance, saying he hit "all the bases" on conservative issues and even praising his eloquence on his pro-life position regarding abortion.
Matthews had sharper words for Kaine, who he acknowledged he liked, criticizing him for his constant interrupting of Pence.
"A little desperate there, jumping in all the time, always trying to get his points in," Matthews said. "He didn't wait his turn. Obviously, if he had just waited his turn, the back-and-forth nature of this kind of event, he would have had his opportunity. I don't know why he kept interrupting, because with two people debating, the other guy gets the chance to speak. He couldn't wait for that. I think that hurt him."