MSNBC's Chris Matthews concedes Pence won vice presidential debate, while Kaine was 'desperate

MSNBC host Chris Matthews said Tuesday night that Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Pence was victorious over Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in Tuesday's vice presidential debate, adding that Kaine appeared to be "desperate."

"I thought that Mike Pence did all the things right that Donald Trump did wrong," Matthews opined after the debate.

Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, left, and Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Pence faced off in the vice presidential debate Tuesday night. (Getty Images/Andrew Gombert)

Matthews added of Pence:

He was very good on reaction. He looked like a grown-up. Every time, whatever his words were, of course, he was playing with a couple deuces against a guy with a full house. So, it was very difficult for him in terms of the issues. I mean, he had to defend Donald Trump. But he came across as a grown-up, strong. I thought he was very effective at being a conservative. …

So, he really didn’t work the suburbs for Trump, he worked his right-wing flank. I thought he was very effective at securing Trump’s right-wing flank. And I think that may be important in the numbers in the next couple days, to stop this hemorrhaging of Trump to hold him on the right, and hold him on the conservative tonight.

Matthews, however, had much sharper words for the Democratic vice presidential nominee, blasting Kaine for constantly interrupting Pence.

A little desperate there, jumping in all the time, always trying to get his points in. 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.

Pence, in Matthew's opinion, was more that just the debate's winner. What the Indiana governor really did, according to Matthews, was to set himself up for a potential run for the GOP nomination in 2020.

"What I really think he accomplished is he made himself the front-runner for the Republican nomination in 2020," Matthews said.

"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," he concluded. "He looked like he had his head screwed on, and I think that’s going to look very important for Trump, who doesn’t often look like he has his head screwed on."

(H/T: Mediaite)

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