Donald Trump did not do well against his opponent Hillary Clinton in their first debate recently, but his running mate performed a lot better, getting an upset win over his Democratic counterpart. A CNN poll found that Trump VP pick Gov. Mike Pence won the debate Tuesday night with Clinton running mate Gov. Tim Kaine, which comes as welcome relief for a campaign in need of some good news.

Pence performed with poise and polish in his debate, respondents said, and some were put off by Kaine’s constant interruptions during the debate. Kaine showed a clear edge in his mastery of policy, but he had to act in a position uncomfortable for him: attack dog.

It wasn’t a blowout win for Pence — 48 percent of voters said he won versus 42 percent for Kaine — but he certainly added an air of credibility after his boss performed terribly in his first debate. Clinton and Trump will debate for a second time this Sunday.

The CNN poll found that Pence performed dramatically better than expectations, with two thirds of debate watchers saying that he performed better than expected, and just 14 percent saying he performed worse. Kaine somewhat disappointed, on the other hand. About 43 percent say he underperformed, and 38 percent said he outperformed expectations.

However, Kaine got marks for defending Hillary Clinton better than Pence defended Trump by a 58 percent to 35 percent margin.

Still, the debate was overall a net loss for the Democrats, as 29 percent of debate watchers said it would make them more likely to vote for Trump, versus 18 percent for Clinton. Most of them, however — 53 percent — said their vote wasn’t swayed at all. Copare that to the Clinton-Trump debate, when 34 percent said they were more likely to vote for Clinton and 18 percent for Trump.