The sole scheduled vice-presidential debate between JD Vance, Ohio’s freshman U.S. senator, and Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, is set for Tuesday night.
Though political scientists say debates between running mates seldom sway voters, Tuesday is a chance for both politicians to introduce themselves on television nationally amid a particularly turbulent presidential election cycle.
“This could actually be a big deal,” said Paul Sracic, a Youngstown State University political science professor and Hudson Institute fellow.
That’s true, he said, with the potential for thin margins in swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Both Vance and Walz were chosen by former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in part to court white working class voters in Rust Belt states.
Trump announced Vance, a Republican born and raised in Middletown, as his running mate in July. In a state that’s no longer considered a political bellwether, GOP politicians and business leaders were quick to celebrate the potential for Ohio’s renewed relevance on the national stage.
His endorsement of the now-junior senator enabled Vance, 39, to emerge from a crowded primary field in 2022 where he won the nomination and later the U.S. Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Rob Portman. Vance beat out former Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat from the Youngstown area.
Vance's memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” became something of a cultural touchstone during the 2016 election, particularly after Trump's election to the White House. He was publicly critical of Trump then but has become bulldoggish in his defense of the former president. That’s something that moderators are likely to hit on, Sracic said.
“Look, he's received the endorsement of the person that he criticized, right?” Sracic said. “I think a lot of voters, particularly Republican voters, are going to be like, ‘Well, if Trump's okay with it, then I'm okay with it.’”
Sracic said Vance will also have to balance a fine line on abortion—though he believes Vance could deliver a clearer message on the economy than his running mate did when debating Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I expect Vance, who's more disciplined as a debater (than Trump), will keep coming back to inflation, keep coming back to the economy,” he said.
Walz has been on the debate stage far more often than Vance, from when he ran for Congress nearly two decades ago to when he ran for governor in 2024. Walz, 60, was a public school teacher before he entered politics. But Vance has continued to do television interviews, some of which have been contentious, while Walz hasn’t done any solo interviews since his selection as the Democratic vice presidential candidate.
CBS News will host the 90-minute debate from New York City on Tuesday at 9 p.m. Most major networks, including PBS, will also simulcast it on television and streaming services.
