‘Worried’: Kamala Harris camp in panic mode ahead of VP debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance
One of the most pivotal moments of the US election campaign is occuring and all is not well in the Kamala Harris campaign.
IN THE US
Kamala Harris’ campaign team is said to be a “bit worried” that vice presidential pick Tim Walz could falter in his debate against JD Vance, harming her prospects of defeating Donald Trump.
Democrat Mr Walz and Republican Mr Vance are currently going head-to-head today in what is likely to be the final major debate of the US Presidential campaign.
Hosted by US TV network CBS in New York City, it will be watched by tens of millions of Americans.
However expectations are so high for Mr Vance’s performance, he has further to fall.
Running mate debates are usually not a US election high point.
But with polls on a knife edge, if either of the two have a major gaffe it could affect just enough votes to change the election outcome in just five weeks’ time.
‘Expect a slugfest’
In September’s presidential debate, Ms Harris was widely considered to have bested Mr Trump, effortlessly riling the Republican.
When Mr Trump could have been attacking Ms Harris on issues on the Mexico border, for instance, he was instead giving airtime to a false rumour about immigrants eating pets.
Mr Vance, a far more polished performer well used to sparring with opponents, will almost certainly perform better.
“Expect a slugfest,” wrote website Politico, which could pit attack dog Vance against the folksy “Coach Tim”.
“There’s plenty of bad blood between the two”.
Political website FiveThirtyEight’s poll of polls has Ms Harris on 48.5 per cent of the national vote to Mr Trump’s 45.9 per cent.
That’s still close enough for swing states to make all the difference in the US’ Electoral College system and Mr Trump to get the keys to The White House even if he loses the national vote.
‘A little worried’
Democrats fear they have more to lose during the debate.
“I’m a little worried,” a Democrat politician told political website Axios.
Mr Vance “has everything riding on this and will be sharp,” the unnamed source said.
There is a fear in the Democratic campaign that in the face of his opponent’s attacks, Mr Walz might waffle, stumble and could even lose his folksy charm and succumb to lashing out.
“If he is real, he should be okay,” another senior Democrat said of Mr Walz.
“Vance is going to be Vance. And that is dangerous,” he added.
CNN has reported that Mr Walz himself is feeling “nervous” about his chances.
“He’s a strong person,” Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar told the news network.
But, she added, if he gets distracted he may struggle to get his points across.
“He’s just not a lawyer-debater type.
“It’s not like he was dreaming of debates when he was in first grade.”
Mr Walz, the Governor of Minnesota, has had a meteoric rise to presidential running mate.
In the expedited running mate race, he impressed Ms Harris due to his down to earth charisma, his CV as a soldier, teacher and school football coach, and his ability to land a message.
It was Mr Walz who now famously labelled Republicans, from Mr Trump down, as “weird,” an insult that continues to resonate.
He will almost certainly accuse Mr Vance of trying to roll back abortion rights, say that Mr Trump is a danger to democracy and that the Republicans will prioritise billionaires over working people.
But his vulnerabilities are also causing worries. Questions have been asked, by Mr Vance many times, about his military service. There are accusations – fiercely denied by Mr Walz – that he left the military in a rush to avoid active duty.
He has also been accused of failing to crack down hard enough on rioters in his state following the death at the hands of the police of George Floyd.
Mr Trump has called Mr Walz “very liberal,” while other in the Republican have said he is “radical” and “far left”. Mr Walz would likely reply that if being “very liberal” means providing school kids with free meals – something he introduced in Minnesota – he’d wear the badge with pride.
Vance’s weak spots
But Ohio Senator Mr Vance has his own weak spots – including a habit of going down right wing rabbit holes that may put off moderate voters.
It was he who gave a huge platform to the lie that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets.
He also potentially put off a chunk of female voters who he derided as “childless cat ladies”.
And then there’s the accusation Mr Vance is opportunistic and has changed his entire view of Mr Trump for the sake of being close to power.
The Democratic campaign trolled Mr Vance this week projecting some of his less flattering past comments about Mr Trump onto the facade of New York’s Trump Tower.
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“Vance on Trump: ‘What an idiot,’” read one of the projections.
The Republican will likely accuse his rival of representing an administration that he claims has been soft on immigration and a bad custodian of the US economy.
Mr Walz, it’s been reported, has spent weeks practising for the debate with transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg playing the role of Mr Vance.
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