VP vs. VP debates rarely matter – Walz vs. Vance showdown is different

Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance will meet Tuesday evening in New York for their one and only vice presidential debate.

Although the stakes in this type of matchup between vice presidential candidates are usually low – a lower card than the main event of the presidential election – this one could be different.

In a tight race that could be decided by tens of thousands of votes in a handful of states, every opportunity to generate positive attention and political momentum is valuable.

At the very least, the debate will be a fascinating contrast between two men with very different political styles and beliefs and two campaigns with distinct strategies for winning the White House.

Donald Trump announced his selection of Vance in July, at the start of the Republican National Convention and just a day after his near assassination.

The former president was leading in the polls, and his choice of the 40-year-old Ohio senator was seen not just as a play to the white working class of the industrial Midwest – a key demographic in a region which is an electoral hotspot. battlefield – but also as a means of establishing one’s political legacy.

Unlike Trump’s first vice president, Mike Pence, Vance is an ideological kindred spirit, whose focus on trade and immigration aligns with Trump’s top policy priorities.

If Vance was one of the favorites to be Trump’s running mate, Walz’s path to the Democratic second place was much more unlikely. After Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid, Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in as standard-bearer and soon after began her candidate search.

Walz, the Minnesota governor, was not a leading contender for the job, but his viral television appearances ridiculing Republicans as “weird” and his ability to defend liberal policies in harsh language favorable to moderates convinced Harris.

On the campaign trail, both men sought to leverage the political skills that made them vice-presidential candidates.

Vance is polished and experienced — a former Silicon Valley venture capitalist with an Ivy League pedigree that belies his rural Appalachian roots. Walz is a high school teacher turned politician with a penchant for Midwestern folk humor.

Vance frequently defended the Trump campaign on mainstream media news programs. He also rallied potential supporters in rural areas of Midwest states, part of Trump’s campaign strategy to engage sympathetic voters who may not have participated in previous elections.

Last week in Traverse City, Michigan, Vance gave his usual speech, focusing on immigration, the economy and trade.

“We are going to implement common-sense fiscal and economic policies,” he told the crowd of a few thousand supporters gathered at a local fair. “We will do it with American workers rather than foreign slave laborers. »

Although many at the rally didn’t know much about Vance before his selection as vice presidential candidate, they said they liked what they had heard so far — even though Vance often flirted with controversy. His amplification of false rumors that Haitian migrants were stealing and eating pets in Ohio is a recent example.

The Democrat is a regular presence in more rural areas of battleground states – often appearing in traditionally more conservative places. As a former high school football coach, he sought to highlight his experience and ties to America’s most popular sport. On Saturday, he was in attendance at the Michigan-Minnesota college football game that took place in front of a crowd of 110,000 people.

When Harris introduced Walz as her vice presidential pick at a rally in Philadelphia in early August, she repeatedly called him “Coach Walz” — and highlighted his experience as a high school teacher.

Democrats may be hoping his clear and salty appeal reduces Republican margins outside major metropolitan areas.

“In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and their personal choices,” Walz said in Philadelphia. “Even though we wouldn’t make the same choice for ourselves, there is one golden rule: Mind your own damn business.”

During Tuesday night’s debate, Vance will likely continue hammering Democrats on the economy, immigration and crime — areas where polls show Trump and Republicans are favored.

He could accuse Walz of being slow to respond to sometimes violent protests in Minnesota following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and highlight some of the more controversial liberal policies Walz has adopted as governor, including regarding transgender rights.

He may also point to Walz’s sometimes contradictory statements about his past in the Minnesota National Guard.

Walz could counter by pointing out Vance’s past controversial statements – about Haitians in Ohio and his derisive remarks about Democratic women who don’t have children being “childless cat ladies.”

He might also note Vance’s ties to the people who oversaw Project 2025, the governing agenda proposed by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. It’s also sure to shift attention to social issues where Democrats are stronger — like health care, the environment and, most importantly, abortion rights.

Both men had relatively low profiles in national politics before being elected on their respective presidential lists. Vance, who served less than two years in the U.S. Senate, is best known for his bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy. Walz has a longer political background, having served as governor and congressman from rural Minnesota, but he has never been in the highest ranks of party leadership.

Both men will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to millions of Americans for the first time Tuesday night — and their performance could reflect the judgment and decision-making ability of the presidential candidates who selected them.

The spotlight on Vance could be particularly bright, given that Trump, if he wins, will be the oldest person ever elected president. Vance could also use the opportunity to bring ideological depth and detail to Trump’s conservative populism, as he did during his speech at the Republican convention in July.

For Walz, it’s an opportunity not only to help Americans learn more about him as a candidate, but also about a Democratic ticket that didn’t exist two months ago – a ticket that, according to polls, many Americans are still unsure. If he can do it in a way that appeals to moderate and independent voters — his vaunted strength — so much the better for the Harris camp.

Typically, the vice presidential debate takes place in the middle of a series of presidential debates — an interlude between the candidate matchups that really matter.

However, with no other presidential debates planned this year, the vice presidential candidates’ showdown could be the last chance for American voters to see the two lists depicted in direct contrast before casting their ballot.