Hillary Clinton won the first debate against Donald Trump more decisively. | Getty CNN poll: 57 percent of viewers say Clinton won the debate

A majority of debate viewers polled by CNN — 57 percent — said Hillary Clinton won the second presidential debate on Sunday night in St. Louis.

Thirty-four percent of debate watchers surveyed in the instant poll said Donald Trump won, though 63 percent overall thought that the Republican nominee surpassed their expectations for him. Twenty-one percent expected him to do worse, according to the network.


Among those surveyed, 58 percent said they supported Clinton before the debate, which commentators have been quick to describe as historically ugly. It came at an especially nasty point in an already hugely divisive campaign, in the wake of a damaging report showing Trump bragging about sexual assault and demeaning women.

Clinton won the first debate against Trump more decisively, and both campaigns were quick to spin the results in their favor after the debate late Sunday night.