Why Vance-Walz vice presidential debate holds more significance than usual

Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz are set to face off on Tuesday in the only vice-presidential debate of the 2024 election. Tuesday’s debate will ensure a showdown between the two running mates who have spent the past two months targeting each other and their parties’ presidential nominees.

Hosted by CBS News in New York, this debate might not hold the same weight as the September 10 showdown between former US President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. However, it will provide a chance for their respective running mates to make an impression and support their leaders. This debate is set to attract the largest television and online audience that either candidate will encounter before Election Day.

Usually, vice-presidential debates are viewed as the undercard, often overlooked by voters. However, the exchanges between Walz and Vance have gained considerable attention, making this Tuesday’s head-to-head particularly exciting as it is their only scheduled debate before the November 5 election.

More from United States Of America

From father's advice to pastor's call: How Charlie Kirk's shooter Tyler Robinson was turned in to police Charlie Kirk: Killer still at large, motive uncertain; FBI releases photo with $100,000 reward

Harris was generally perceived to have outperformed Trump in their September 10 debate, which might increase the pressure on Vance, the 40-year-old first-term US senator from Ohio, to deliver a strong performance.

Walz, the 60-year-old governor of Minnesota, and Vance have hinted at their strategies for weeks. Walz, before being selected by Harris, used the term “weird” to criticise the Republican candidate.

Meanwhile, Vance has been critical of Walz’s progressive policies and argued that they show that Democrats are too far left for the voters.

When is the debate?

Editor’s Picks

1

US VP candidates Vance and Walz prepare for fiery debate 2

'Too late': Trump rejects Harris's call for second debate, says 'voting has started'

The 90-minute debate, hosted by CBS News, is set for October 1 at 9 pm ET. It will be hosted in New York City, a Democratic-leaning city and the former home of Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Who are the moderators?

The debate will be held at the CBS Broadcast Centre and moderated by Norah O’Donnell, anchor of CBS Evening News, along with Margaret Brennan, the host of Face the Nation.

What are the rules?

There will be no live audience for this debate. Candidates will remain behind platforms throughout the event, and prepared notes will be allowed on stage.

Here’s a look at past vice presidential debates — and the larger role of the office Walz and Vance are both seeking.

What is the vice president’s job?

The vice president presides over the Senate and is empowered to break ties, as Harris has done a record 33 times. She exceeded the previous high mark last year, which had held since John C Calhoun was vice president from 1825 to 1832. The officeholder also presides ceremonially in Congress over the certification of electoral results, which Vice President Mike Pence did even after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a bid to halt the process and transition of power, with some chanting, “Hang Mike Pence!”

But the vice president’s main job is to be ready to take over if something happens to the president. Nine have done so following a president’s death or departure from office — the last being Gerald Ford, who became president when Richard Nixon resigned in 1974.

The Constitution’s 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, spelled out the succession rules, stating that the vice president becomes president “in case of the removal of the president from office or of his death or resignation.” It also allowed the president and Congress to nominate and approve a new vice president if that office is vacated.

Vice presidential historian Joel K Goldstein said two recent assassination attempts against Trump raise “the saliency of succession.” But he added that many voters view vice presidential nominees as appendages of the candidates who selected them, not necessarily as potential future presidents themselves.

“People do look at somebody as, are they ready to be a heartbeat away?” Goldstein said. “But it is also a question of how good a decisionmaker is the person who chose them.”

Which have been memorable vice presidential debates?

In 1992, James Stockdale, running mate of third-party candidate Ross Perot, was going for breezy but seemed befuddled when he opened the debate by saying, “Who am I? Why am I here?” His later response to a question, “I didn’t have my hearing aid turned up,” only reinforced that perception.

The debate between No 2s was highly anticipated in 2008 after Republican Arizona Senator John McCain selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate and saw a bump in the polls. But her showdown with then-Delaware Senator Joe Biden is best remembered for Palin approaching him before the start and saying, “Can I call you Joe?” That was Palin attempting to keep from mistakenly calling her opponent “O’Biden,” conflating Biden’s name with that of his running mate, then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

The vice presidential nominee and Texas Democratic senator, Lloyd Bentsen, offered a stinging rejoinder against his opponent, Republican Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana, in 1988. After Quayle compared himself to John F Kennedy, Bentsen replied, “You’re no Jack Kennedy, senator.” But it was one of the Democratic ticket’s few high points in a race it lost handily.

In 2020, Harris faced off with Republican Vice President Mike Pence and declared when he tried to interrupt her, “I’m speaking,” a line she’s reprised in this campaign. But both candidates might have been overshadowed by a fly that perched on Pence’s hair for what felt like an eternity.

Will the debate affect the campaign?

A nominee’s choice of second in command has historically made little Election Day difference. This year could be different.

Historical analysis by Mark P Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston, suggests that voters aren’t really swayed by a candidate’s running mate. Even the idea of using a pick to balance a ticket — like pairing the first major party nominee who is a woman of color with a white male in the case of Harris selecting Walz — may also be overstated.

“The evidence we have is that they’re really voting for the presidential nominee,” Jones said of Americans through the decades.

A key caveat might be that, given just how close the current race is looking to be in swing states, “It’s always possible that, at the margins, it may matter,” Jones said.

One reason why the Walz-Vance debate might shift more opinions this year is that Harris and Trump shared a stage only once, in early September. That means Tuesday may be the last chance before Election Day for voters to see the two tickets square off directly.

But, more likely, both Walz and Vance will simply need to avoid memorable unforced errors that can be endlessly replayed. Jones said such a race-shifting gaffe is unlikely — but not impossible.

“They’re disciplined,” Jones said. “But all it takes is one.”

With inputs from AP