On Tuesday, two Midwesterners will engage in the only vice presidential debate of the election season. Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, representing the Republicans, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, representing the Democrats, will share the debate stage exactly five weeks before Election Day, in a race that remains extremely close.
Both candidates are expected to highlight their small-town, Midwestern backgrounds, with Vance hailing from Middletown, Ohio, and Walz having grown up in Nebraska. Despite their shared regional roots, their visions for America diverge significantly on several key issues, including the border crisis, abortion, and gun laws.
In a race where polling margins are narrow, any event could potentially influence the outcome of the 2024 Presidential election. NPR’s Senior White House Correspondent, Tamara Keith, has analyzed the historical impact of vice presidential debates. According to Keith, while these debates are often forgettable, the one from 1988 remains memorable in American popular culture. During that debate, Senator Dan Quayle, the Republican nominee, faced off against Senator Lloyd Bentsen, the Democratic nominee. Bentsen’s famous retort to Quayle’s self-comparison to John F. Kennedy—”I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy”—became an iconic moment, although it did not alter the election’s outcome, as Bentsen and his running mate Michael Dukakis lost decisively.
Joel Goldstein, an expert on the vice presidency, contends that vice presidential debates play a crucial role. He believes these debates are significant as they introduce the vice presidential candidates to the American public, alongside their initial rollout and acceptance speeches. Given that J.D. Vance, a bestselling author, has only been a Senator for two years, and Tim Walz, despite serving in Congress, has not had a significant national presence until now, this debate serves as an essential platform for both.
Goldstein emphasizes that one of the critical evaluations is whether voters can envision the vice presidential candidates as potential presidents. He asserts, “If somebody is not prepared to be president on day one, they’re also not likely to be the sort of person who’s going to be able to walk into the Oval Office and say no to the president or tell him or her that the president’s wrong.”
This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink, Michael Levitt, and Alejandra Marquez Janse, and edited by Courtney Dorning and Roberta Rampton. The executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
