Walz and Vance will meet in their first and perhaps only vice presidential debate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tim Walz and JD Vance will meet Tuesday for their first and perhaps only vice presidential debate, in what could be the two campaigns’ last debate to make their case before the election.

The debate in New York hosted by CBS News will give Vance, a freshman Republican senator from Ohio, and Walz, a two-term Democratic governor of Minnesota, the opportunity to introduce themselves, make their case for their running mates and continue their campaign. attack against the opposing ticket.

Tuesday’s game could have an outsized impact. Polls showed that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced off in a tight race, giving added weight to anything that can influence voters at the margins, including the impression left by vice-presidential candidates. It could also be the final debate of the campaign, with the Harris and Trump teams unable to agree on another meeting.

A vice presidential candidate’s role is typically to serve as an attack dog for the person at the top of the ticket, arguing against the opposing presidential candidate and their proxy on stage. Both Vance and Walz took on this role.

Vance’s sometimes confrontational interviews and appearances on the campaign trail have underscored why Trump chose him for the Republican ticket despite his past harsh criticism of the former president, including once suggesting that Trump would be “the America’s Hitler.”

Walz, meanwhile, catapulted himself onto Harris’ campaign by calling Trump and Republicans “just weird,” creating a line of attack for Democrats seeking to argue that Republicans are out of touch with the American people.

A new AP-NORC poll found that Walz is more well-liked than Vance, which could give the Republican an additional challenge.

After a Harris-Trump debate in which Republicans complained that ABC News moderators were fact-checking Trump, Tuesday’s debate will feature no corrections from the hosts. CBS News said it would be up to the candidates to point out inaccuracies, with moderators “facilitating these opportunities.”

Before the debate, allies of both men were lowering their expectations for a decisive performance from their candidate.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., called Vance an “accomplished debater” and compared that to Walz, saying he was “not the lawyer-debate type.” Klobuchar said Walz spent his time thinking about football, not debating.

Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, portrayed Walz very differently from Klobuchar.

“Tim Walz is very good in debates, really good. He has been a politician for almost 20 years. He will be very well prepared for tomorrow night,” Miller told reporters Monday. He predicted that Minnesota’s Democratic governor would be much more “determined” than he is on the campaign trail and ready to defend his record, but he added: “That doesn’t mean JD Vance won’t be ready tomorrow, or that he’s not up to the challenge in any way.

Vance, speaking to reporters last week, said he didn’t “have to prepare much” for the debate because he had “well-developed opinions on public policy.”

But Vance participated in debate preparation sessions in which he was joined by his wife, Usha Vance, Miller, Vance’s top aides and Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., who played Walz, according to a person familiar with his preparations who requested anonymity to discuss strategy. The moderator for their mock debates was Monica Crowley, who served in the Trump administration, hosts a podcast and contributed to Project 2025, a conservative plan to remake the government that Trump claims he “knows nothing about.”

“JD Vance is ready to wipe the floor with Tim Walz and expose him for the radical liberal that he is,” Emmer told reporters Monday.

Walz’s debate preparation included sessions at a Minneapolis hotel, with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg replacing Vance, according to a person familiar with the process who requested anonymity to discuss the internal dynamics of the campaign. Others who helped with preparations included Rob Friedlander and Zayn Siddique, who helped Harris prepare for her debate with Trump, as well as other Walz and campaign aides.

Klobuchar said Walz will show the American people “a real person” who brings “vibrancy” and positivity to the debate stage that will contrast with Vance, but “he won’t shy away from highlighting the issues.”

“Just because he’s upbeat and positive doesn’t mean he’s a pushover,” she said.

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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in New York, Josh Boak in Baltimore and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.