On Tuesday, Senator JD Vance and Governor Tim Walz took the debate stage for the first and only time this election cycle. With Election Day just over a month away, Americans had the opportunity to learn about each of the running mate’s policy positions.
I believe the debate was the best major political debate I’ve seen. It was substantive and both candidates argued policy and, for the most part, avoided making personal attacks. It was refreshing to finally see candidates exercise some civility on the debate stage.
Vance and Walz sparred on a variety of topics that are important to voters including foreign policy, the environment, the economy, abortion and gun control. Both candidates provided actual policy proposals which, disappointingly, we aren’t used to in this country. Amazingly, both candidates showed up with more than “concepts of a plan.” This debate was a look into what political discourse in the United States should look like, and for that, I applaud both men.
While both candidates performed well in this debate, Vance won decisively. Vance’s performance on Tuesday was the best debate performance I have seen. He seemed to have an answer for any question thrown at him.
He began the debate with a monologue about himself, telling voters he was raised in a middle-class family and was raised by a mother who struggled with addiction. His introduction made him much more relatable and helped him to resonate with viewers. Vance is often criticized as coming off as over-rehearsed or robotic, but throughout the debate, he seemed human in a way voters hadn’t yet seen.
Before this debate, Vance was viewed favorably by only about a third of Americans. However, I believe his performance will largely change his public perception.
One of Vance’s best moments came when he was fact-checked by one of the moderators. When challenged, he was assertive, rebutted the point and seemed in control of the room. A point I imagined would be difficult for him to overcome was his previous criticisms of President Trump. However, when questioned about it, Vance brushed off the statements by merely saying he was wrong about Trump. While this seems like an obvious response, admitting previous errors seemed to give him an extra sense of honesty and credibility.
Before the debate, I wasn’t sure Trump had made the right pick for his running mate, and I definitely wasn’t sure about JD Vance as the future of the Republican Party. However, my concerns have been put to rest. On Tuesday, Vance proved he deserves to be at the top of the GOP’s depth chart now and for elections to come.
I now feel that I will see a Vance Presidency during my lifetime. I’m not the only person who recognizes Vance’s success in the debate. In a poll conducted by USA Today, a majority of voters said Vance won the debate. Interestingly, they also found that over a third of voter’s opinions of the candidates were swayed by the debate.
While I believe this debate was a huge success for Vance, I want to reiterate both candidates performed well. The nation would be much better if every debate looked something like this. While Walz’s performance should be applauded, Vance proved he is the young, rising star the Republican party believed him to be.
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Commentary writer Caleb Neitzel can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @caleb_neitzel.
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