How Vance and Walz will try to win the debate

The two vice-presidential hopefuls will clash on stage Tuesday night in New York.

Vice-presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz.

Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio will arrive at a vice-presidential debate stage Tuesday with four main goals: defend their bosses from attack, land punches without appearing overly nasty, look credible as potential White House replacements, and avoid embarrassment.

The understudies, both Midwesterners with dispositions that can turn hot when angered, will be making the most perilous appearances of their political careers during an event that will be watched by tens of millions of voters.

Vance might have the heavier lift during their only planned face-off. That is partly because former President Donald Trump was widely viewed as losing his Sept. 10 debate against Vice President Kamala Harris in what for now was their only scheduled meeting.

The senator also faces a greater challenge because several polls have shown him with the lowest favourability rating of the four candidates on the two presidential tickets.

If Vance can significantly trip up Walz, that would be helpful for the GOP in trying to change a narrative that in recent weeks has shown Harris with a slight polling lead — often within the margin of error — over Trump.

The two candidates will have more of a chance to clash — or at least interrupt one another — than in the presidential debate because CBS News, the host, doesn’t plan to mute the microphones unless absolutely necessary.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, someone viewed in the Democratic Party as one of their most skilled communicators, has played Vance in mock debate sessions, according to a person familiar with Walz’s preparations.

Walz is likely to focus especially on trying to win over white, working-class voters. Picture: Charly Triballeau/AFP

Rep. Tom Emmer (R., Minn.) has stood in as Walz for Vance’s practice sessions. The third-highest ranking House Republican was chosen to help the senator prepare for Walz’s folksy style and because he has a strong familiarity with the governor’s record, a person familiar with Vance’s preparation said. The senator has mostly prepared from his Cincinnati home or in online sessions with his team, including his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, this person said.

Walz attended a multiday debate camp in northern Michigan, a battleground state that serves as Buttigieg’s non-Washington home, ahead of his departure for the debate venue. Vance wasn’t expected to participate in preparations quite so formal, although Emmer on Monday during a Trump campaign call offered a hint on strategy when he referred to California’s liberal governor and said Walz was “like Gavin Newsom in a flannel shirt.” Both men will be seeking to expand on the basic information Americans have learned about them since their midsummer selections, while also making the case for their respective presidential nominees as early voting is ramping up in some states.

Walz is likely to focus especially on trying to win over white, working-class voters. Harris picked him in part because of his folksy persona and potential to give her a boost in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where such voters are common. He is likely to mention football and gun ownership, perhaps even noting his marksmanship in knocking pheasants from the sky.

Vance might be forced to respond to controversies involving both cats and dogs that were part of a rocky start he had as Trump’s running mate. His disparaging 2021 comment about “childless cat ladies” has served as a distraction as has his continued unfounded claims of Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.

The senator has kept a busy schedule of rallies and media appearances, embracing the Trump campaign’s frequent approach of sparring with reporters. Walz has limited his media interactions to mostly interviews with local reporters in battleground states.

The vice presidential nominees are a study in contrasts. Walz is as progressive as Vance is conservative. One worked as a high-school teacher and football coach before politics, while the other graduated from Yale Law School, worked in venture capital and sold a best-selling book. Vance is a more polished speaker, while Walz has a more everyday style. At 60 years, the governor is 20 years older than the senator.

The two have already battled from afar. Perhaps their most pointed exchanges came over military service, with Vance, a former Marine and Iraq war veteran, accusing Walz of misconstruing his military experience and accusing him of “stolen valour.” The Minnesota governor, who spent 24 years in the National Guard, responded that Americans “should never denigrate another person’s service record.” Walz has repeatedly referred to Vance and Trump as “weird,” an attack line that has gone viral among Democrats.

Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance has kept a busy schedule of rallies and media appearances. Picture: Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP

Walz has more debate experience from his more than a decade in Congress and two campaigns for governor, while Vance has had a lot of national media experience since his high-profile 2022 Senate election.

Danny O’Connor, an Ohio Democrat who played Vance in debate preparations for then-Rep. Tim Ryan during the Senate race two years ago, said the Republican can get into trouble when he tries to be too cute.

“He’s going to be disciplined, but will probably also have some moments that are also kind of weird,” said O’Connor, the county recorder in the state’s most populated county. “He will say things he thinks are clever, but they don’t always come out that way.” Vance has a habit of laughing a fair bit during debates, especially when he is trying to play down the significance of a question asked of him, O’Connor said. “He tries to laugh things off as absurd or trivial,” he said. “He will laugh to try to lower the gravity of the situation.” A Wall Street Journal poll taken late last month showed voters hold a more favourable view of Walz than Vance, with 46% seeing the governor in a positive way and 40% feeling that way about the senator. Vance’s unfavourable rating was also higher than Walz’s, 50% to 40%.

As was the case for the presidential debate earlier this month, there will be no audience. Viewership is also likely to be lower than the 67 million who watched Harris and Trump.

Dr Scott Jensen, the 2022 Republican nominee for governor in Minnesota, said it would be “pretty foolish to underestimate” Walz on a debate stage.

“He’s good at being able to dodge and weave,” said Jensen, who debated Walz three times and was the last person to formally do so.

The former state politician said Walz is good at weaving in his biography during debates but doesn’t always answer the question that has been asked of him. “Knocking him off his stride will not be easy,” he said.

Jensen said there is plenty of fodder for Vance, including Walz’s handling of riots in Minneapolis following the killing by police of George Floyd, his management of the Covid-19 pandemic and the leftward shift in Minnesota policies during his tenure as governor.

Using a football analogy, Jensen said both candidates will need to be cautious not to say something that disagrees with a position their presidential nominee has taken. “Control the football, no turnovers and make an occasional field goal,” he said.

The Wall Street Journal