A majority of readers say this candidate won the debate

And only 26% percent marked "yes" when responding to the question, "Did either candidate influence your vote?"

Millions of viewers tuned in to Tuesday night’s heated 90-minute debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump. And among almost 3,000 Boston.com readers who weighed in, there was a clear winner.

The showdown started with a handshake initiated by Harris.

“Kamala Harris,” the Democratic nominee for president said as she approached Trump’s podium to shake his hand. “Let’s have a good debate.”

“Nice to see you, have fun,” Trump replied.

The first and potentially only debate, which took place at 9 p.m. EST at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, had no audience and the candidates’ microphones were muted until it was their turn to speak.

ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis pressed the candidates on a range of issues, including the economy, abortion, immigration, and foreign policy, and in some cases live fact-checked their responses.

Some political analysts said Harris undermined Trump’s debate performance by purposely baiting him throughout the night, including on his purported obsession with rallies and crowd sizes.

“I’m gonna invite you to attend one of Donald Trump’s rallies because it’s a really interesting thing to watch,” Harris said. “The one thing you will not hear him talk about is you.”

Trump quickly fired back.

“She said people start leaving. People don’t go to her rallies,” he said. “So she can’t talk about that. People don’t leave my rallies.”

The Harris-Trump debate comes after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race after elected officials raised concerns about his debate performance back in June. After that debate, 85% of Boston.com readers who responded agreed that Biden should step aside.

With Harris newer to the race, a New York Times/Siena College poll of likely voters last week found that 28%, compared to Trump’s 9%, felt like they still needed to learn more about her.

After the debate, we asked Boston.com readers to share their thoughts, asking who won the presidential debate and if either candidate influenced their vote.

Twenty-six percent of responders replied “yes” to the question, “Did either candidate influence your vote?”

And a majority of Boston.com readers — 70% — said Harris won, similar to the results of the CNN Flash Poll that found Harris outperforming Trump 63% to 37%.

Harris vs. Trump: Who do you think won the presidential debate?

Donald Trump

28%

861

Kamala Harris

72%

2173

Did either candidate influence your vote?

Yes

26%

780

No, already made up my mind

74%

2254

Here’s what some readers had to say

Like the majority of readers, David M. from Boston said Harris won the debate.

“Trump underestimated Kamala and it showed,” he wrote. “She prepared brilliantly and delivered a great performance.”

Darryl from Charlestown, a Harris supporter, said, “Harris came across as presidential and Trump came across as an angry old man.”

Another who said Harris won called Trump “incoherent.”

“Trump’s age is an issue now,” Magnus M. from Milton wrote. “If he can’t stay calm, his composure with lawmakers and foreign leaders should be questioned.”

Ryan from Union, who said Trump won, said Harris seemed “inauthentic and performative.”

“Trump seemed to focus on two points only but was his authentically crazy self,” he said.

Some thought the debate was conducted unfairly, writing that the moderators and fact checks were biased.

“The better question is what people think of the moderators’ performances,” Nick from Easton wrote.

“I think ABC was unfair to both candidates,” another reader said.

Others had more mixed reactions.

“I think the vote was a close tie between them,” Paul G. from Westminster and South Orleans wrote. “She did much better than I thought she would and he didn’t do as well as he usually did.”

One reader said they initially thought the debate performance would resemble the Biden-Trump matchup in June.

“Going in it seemed maybe Trump would look old and confused, like Biden at the first debate, and Harris would triumph in the comparison,” Michael from Concord, who thought Trump won, said. “But I didn’t see that.”

One anonymous undecided voter said Trump won the debate.

“I wanted more substance from Harris but came away with more questions than answers,” they wrote. “I continue to be undecided.”