BBC
Democrat Tim Walz and Republican J.D. Vance will be in the only vice presidential debate Tuesday night in New York City.
These types of vice presidential showdowns are usually low-stakes undercards to presidential main events, but this time may be different.
In close races that can 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, this debate will provide an interesting contrast between two men with vastly different styles and political beliefs, and two camps with clear strategies for winning the White House.
Donald Trump announced his selection of Vance in July at the start of the Republican National Convention and the day after Vance was nearly assassinated.
The former president enjoys high approval ratings in public opinion polls, and his selection for the 40-year-old Ohio state senator is a sign of his appeal to the white working class of the industrial Midwest, an important demographic in the upper reaches of the constituency. It wasn’t just for fun. Not only on the battlefield, but also as a way to establish his political legacy.
Unlike President Trump’s first vice president, Mike Pence, Mr. Vance is ideologically kindred, and his focus on trade and immigration aligns with Mr. Trump’s top political priorities.
If Mr. Vance had been the front-runner to be Mr. Trump’s running mate, it would have been highly unlikely that Mr. Walz would have been the No. 2 Democrat. After Joe Biden abandoned his bid for re-election, Vice President Kamala Harris stepped forward as the standard-bearer and began searching for a ticket mate soon after.
Walz, the Minnesota governor, was not a strong candidate, but his TV appearances deriding Republicans as “weirdos” made headlines, and Harris’ ability to defend liberal policies with words that were kind to moderates made her stand out. Fascinated.
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During the campaign, both men have sought to demonstrate the political skills that earned them the vice presidential nominations.
Vance is sophisticated and practical, a former Silicon Valley venture capitalist with an Ivy League pedigree that belies his rural Appalachian roots. Waltz is a high school teacher turned politician with a penchant for down-to-earth Midwestern humor.
Vance has frequently defended the Trump campaign on mainstream media news programs. It also rallied potential supporters in rural Midwestern battleground states as part of the Trump campaign’s strategy to woo sympathetic voters who may not have participated in previous elections.
Last week in Traverse City, Michigan, Mr. Vance delivered his standard stump speech, focusing on immigration, the economy and trade.
“We’re going to pursue common sense tax and economic policies,” he told thousands of cheering supporters at a local fairgrounds. “We’re going to do it with American workers, not foreign slave labor.”
Many rally attendees didn’t know much about Vance before he was elected vice president, but said they liked what they heard so far, despite Vance’s frequent controversy. The latest example is when he amplified untrue rumors that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating pets in Ohio.
Walz appeals to voters that Harris has a hard time reaching.
Democrats are a fixture in rural areas of battleground states, often appearing in traditionally more conservative areas. As a former high school football coach, he has sought to promote his career and connection to America’s most popular sport. On Saturday, he was at the Michigan-Minnesota college football game in front of 110,000 people.
When Harris introduced Walz as her running mate at a rally in Philadelphia in early August, she repeatedly referred to him as “Coach Walz” and emphasized his background as a high school educator.
Democrats may be hoping that his outspoken rhetoric will make inroads with Republican voters outside of major metropolitan areas.
“In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make,” Walz said in Philadelphia. “Even if we don’t make the same choices, there is a golden rule: think for yourself.”
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In Tuesday night’s debate, Mr. Vance is expected to continue to grill Democrats on the economy, immigration and crime — areas where polls show Mr. Trump and the Republican Party.
They accused Walz of being slow to respond to the sometimes violent demonstrations in Minnesota following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, and the transgender ban he enacted as governor. It is likely to highlight some of the controversial liberal policies, including rights.
He may also point out that Walz has sometimes made contradictory statements about his service history in the Minnesota National Guard.
Walz counters by highlighting Vance’s past controversial comments about Haitians in Ohio and his derisive comments calling childless Democratic women “childless cat ladies.” Maybe.
He may also note Mr. Vance’s ties to those who oversaw Project 2025, a proposed governance plan promoted by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation. He is also certain that Democrats will shift their focus to stronger social issues, including health care, the environment, and most notably abortion rights.
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Both men had relatively low profile in national politics before their respective presidential candidates. Mr. Vance, who has served in the Senate for less than two years, is best known for his best-selling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.” Mr. Walz has a longer political career, including stints as governor and congressman from rural Minnesota, but has never been in the upper echelons of party leadership.
The two will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to millions of Americans for the first time Tuesday night, but their performance may reflect the judgment and decision-making ability of the presidential candidates who selected them. be.
The spotlight on Mr. Vance could be particularly sharp, given that Mr. Trump would become the oldest president in history if he wins. Mr. Vance may also take the opportunity to provide ideological depth and detail to Mr. Trump’s conservative populism, as he did in his July Republican convention speech.
For Walz, this is not only an opportunity for Americans to learn more about him as a candidate, but also an opportunity that polls show many Americans are still unsure about, something that didn’t exist two months ago. It will also be an opportunity to learn about the ticket to the Democratic Party. If he can do that in a way that appeals to moderate and independent voters, his vaunted strength, all the better for Harris’ camp.
Vice presidential debates typically take place during a series of presidential debates, between the really important candidate showdowns.
But with no further presidential debates scheduled this year, the vice presidential showdown could be the last chance for American voters to see two diametrically contrasting tickets before voting. There is sex.
