Debate gives Vance and Walz a chance to prove Trump and Harris right

Both men were selected for their Midwest credentials and their ability to win over voters in the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

As author of the best-selling book Mountain elegyVance has often spoken about his family’s struggles in Appalachia, and Walz has generated enthusiasm among Democrats for his work leading Minnesota while addressing left-wing issues such as free breakfast and lunch for schoolchildren.

VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE 2024: VANCE AND WALZ TO FACE EACH OTHER IN CBS CONTEST

However, political experts who spoke to the Washington Examiner were mixed about the effectiveness of the running mates.

“Both candidates have done an adequate job as vice presidential nominees,” said national Republican strategist Brian Seitchik.

Walz softens media interviews

Cayce Myers, a professor at Virginia Tech’s school of communications, said Walz’s effectiveness “remains to be seen” and that Tuesday’s debate is one of the governor’s biggest chances to prove himself.

“Overall, Walz has been an effective person in communicating his agenda,” Myers said of the Democratic ticket. “I don’t know if he necessarily has the media savvy of some of the other candidates. I think his experience has been in statewide elections and so it’s a totally different area for a candidate.

Walz excited Democrats with his penchant for calling Vance, Trump and the GOP “weird” and his folksy Midwestern dad persona during Harris’ truncated vice presidential tryout over the summer. His humble personality has helped propel him above other candidates, such as Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA), who has the advantage of being a popular leader of a must-win swing state.

However, since joining the group, Walz has accepted Harris’ decision to limit media interviews. Still, his popularity hasn’t suffered, Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said.

“I think Walz has a kind of grandfatherly charm, a folksy charm, that plays well in the Northern Swing States,” Bannon said.

Recent New York Times-Siena College polls of voters in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin showed Walz more popular than Vance. The governor had a 44% favorable rating and a 41% unfavorable rating, while Vance had a 42% favorable rating and a 48% unfavorable rating.

Polls also showed that 49% of voters said Walz was “honest and trustworthy,” compared to 45% who said the same about Vance.

Republican strategist Steven Hilding also pointed to Walz’s outsider status as a humanizing factor in countering the stereotype of Harris as a San Francisco liberal.

“It’s hard for Harris to be a relatable person when, at least in all modern times, she’s had, I would say, famous boyfriends,” Hilding said, referring to the Harris’ ex-boyfriend, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. .” (Harris) has been very involved in the political scene. Walz can at least be considered a little more of an outsider.”

Vance goes on the offensive

Unlike Walz, the Ohio senator has been more willing to engage with the media, often fielding questions from local and national reporters during his campaigns in battleground states.

Vance typically uses these moments to act as Trump’s proverbial attack dog, accusing Harris and Walz of dodging the media.

“How is she going to sit in a room with (Russian President) Vladimir Putin and (Chinese President) Xi Jinping?” Vance said of Harris at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, earlier this month. “How is she going to sit in a room with America’s adversaries if she won’t even sit down for a friendly interview with the media? She can’t do it, and we can’t trust anyone who is so afraid of her own people that she refuses to give an interview to actually represent those people on the world stage.

Hilding also pointed out that unlike Trump, who has been wealthy for most of his life, Vance brings a more populist personality to the campaign.

“I think he also has that kind of everyman thing that he’s interested in,” he said, noting Vance’s background. “Mountain elegy is, once again, a bestseller. He’s popular again on Netflix, so again, I think he also brings that kind of everyman aspect that Trump maybe doesn’t necessarily have.”

At 78, Trump’s decision to choose Vance as his running mate made the senator the heir to the Make America Great Again movement in 2028 and beyond.

“But I think in terms of expectations, he hasn’t done anything to really move Trump forward,” Myers said. “He didn’t do anything to drag her down either. It’s similar to Walz. It’s kind of a wash at this point.

Will the vice presidential debate matter?

Several strategists who spoke with the Washington Examiner were skeptical that Tuesday’s debate, hosted by CBS News in New York, could change the presidential race.

“Frankly, I’m not sure next week’s vice presidential debate matters at all,” Seitchik said. “The only vice-presidential debate I can remember of significance was in 1992, when Admiral Stockdale, Ross Perot’s vice presidential pick, opened with: Who am I and what am I? what do I do here? Beyond that, the vice presidential debates are meaningless and pretty forgettable.

“I don’t think the choice of vice president makes a difference,” added Matt Dole, a Republican political consultant based in Ohio.

“I don’t think Dan Quayle made a difference. I don’t think Bob Dole made a difference,” Dole continued, referring to former President George H. W. Bush’s running mate in 1988 and former President Gerald Ford’s vice presidential pick in 1976, respectively.

The Republican strategist said that at this point in the race, voters are likely focused on what they think of the two leaders at the top of the presidential ticket.

“What do you think of Donald Trump? What do you think of Harris? It’s so locked at the top of the ticket,” Dole said. “So the vice presidential candidates, both frankly, are just on the periphery and kind of trying to suppress a few votes.”

However, Myers pointed to the lack of presidential debates between Trump and Harris as an example of why the vice presidential debate could be more consequential this time around.

“I think it’s going to be an aggressive debate, and I think both sides are going to come to the debate really defending their candidates in a way that’s more like an attack debate between the two,” Myers said.

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Experts expect that Vance will likely criticize Walz because of his record in the National Guard and Harris’ flip-flops on policy issues such as fracking, while Walz is expected to hit Vance because of Harris’ mixed record. Trump, who appeals to suburban female voters, and Vance’s comments about “childless cat ladies.”

“It’s unlikely to be a watershed event in the campaign, but it certainly contains some drama worth watching and paying attention to,” Bannon said.