Walz and Vance’s ‘Midwestern nice’ debate gives US voters a break
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People attending a watch party event in St Paul, Minnesota, on Oct 1.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW YORK – Americans who watched the vice-presidential debate
Mr Walz, who is Vice-President Kamala Harris’ running mate, and Mr Vance, who is former president Donald Trump’s vice-presidential pick, shared what might be called a “Midwestern nice” approach to the over 90-minute discourse on the night of Oct 1.
They shook hands at the start and lingered afterwards to introduce their wives. It was a welcome relief for some US voters unhappy with the tenor of politics in the run-up to the Nov 5 election.
“So refreshing to have a normal debate for once,” wrote Mr Robert Rubin-Beman from Orlando, Florida, on X. “No incoherent rambling or trying to get a sound bite... I can’t wait for Trump to leave politics so we can go back to this.”
Mr Walz, who is Minnesota’s governor, and Mr Vance, a senator from Ohio, both hail from the US heartland, a region that prides itself on a wholesome and neighbourly attitude.
Each offers a geographic diversity to his presidential ticket with Ms Harris hailing from the West Coast and Trump from the East Coast.
While the candidates disagreed sharply on issues such as abortion, climate change, the economy, immigration and taxes, they kept the tone polite and largely avoided personal attacks on each other, focusing instead on Ms Harris and Trump.
“Now, Tim just mentioned a bunch of ideas,” Mr Vance said during a discussion on housing availability in the US.
He added: “Now some of those ideas, I actually think are halfway decent, and some of them I disagree with.”
Ms Molly Bentley, a 42-year-old nurse who studied global geography under Mr Walz, attended a Minnesota debate watch party with alumni of Mankato West High School, where Mr Walz formerly taught.
Mr Walz’s performance reminded her of sitting in his classroom 20-something years ago, she said. “He respectfully disagreed with J.D. Vance. He said, ‘Hey you’re right on this,’ and then he built on it.”
Ms Bentley added that was exactly what he would have done as a teacher when two “16-year-old hotheads” were butting heads.
The tone was a far cry from Ms Harris and Trump's presidential debate in September
Mr Vance, 40, and Mr Walz, 60, were showing smart political instincts, some analysts said.
“Both sides were trying to appeal to the few undecided voters,” Dr Jeremi Suri, professor of public affairs and history at the University of Texas at Austin, said of the debate on Oct 1.
“Both sides were trying to look like they could act reasonably.”
The 2024 presidential cycle has been dogged by political division and intense rhetoric, two assassination attempts against Trump
While Mr Vance and Mr Walz debated, Trump repeatedly referred to Mr Walz on social media as “Tampon Tim”, a nickname mocking a law Mr Walz signed as governor that requires schools to supply pads, tampons or other products for “all menstruating students” in restrooms, language meant to include trans students.
While Ms Harris leads Trump by 2.6 percentage points in national polls, according to aggregator FiveThirtyEight, the election is expected to be won by razor-thin margins in battleground states that decide elections and include Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Even during the most fundamental disagreement between Mr Walz and Mr Vance, highlighted by a question on whether Mr Vance would challenge election results in 2024, neither man raised his voice.
Mr Walz said he and Mr Vance were “miles apart” on the issue, and turned to Mr Vance and said: “Did he (Trump) lose the 2020 election?”
Mr Vance replied: “Tim, I’m focused on the future.” REUTERS
