In this exceedingly tight election , Republican Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz are serving up one of the most consequential vice presidential debates in U.S. history that could make or break their respective tickets in the final five weeks of the fight for the White House.
The running mates typically host a snoozy undercard, but polls show a seesaw contest in each of the battleground states and given that Tuesday’s meeting in New York is likely the final debate of the 2024 campaign, this marks one of the last chances for either campaign to score a decisive blow against the other.
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And as much as Walz and Vance differ, politically speaking, both have advertised themselves as the everyman who better represents Midwestern values and spotlighted their rural, working-class roots in an attempt to win over undecided voters .
“The clash between their very different personas makes the debate quite interesting,” said Robert Rowland, a former national champion college debater and professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas.