JD Vance wins the vice presidential candidate debate – EURACTIV.pl

Yesterday (October 1) there was a debate of candidates for the US vice president, in which JD Vance and Tim Walz took part.

Candidates for US Vice President J.D. Vance i Tim Walz took part yesterday (October 1) in the pre-election debate organized by CBS. During it, there were fewer attacks on its competitor and more discussions about politics and disputes on topics such as abortion, migration and the economy.

During a conversation about abortion, Walz recalled stories of women who suffered after Supreme Court justices nominated by Donald Trump overturned Roe v Wade, which gave women the right to abortion. He gave an example Amanda Zurawski from Texas, who was denied an abortion despite serious complications that threatened her health, and the woman sued the state. Another woman he mentioned was a young Kentucky woman who was raped by her stepfather as a child and became pregnant.

According to Walz, the authorities should not decide when a woman can have an abortion. “It doesn’t work like that. It’s a basic human right. Maternal mortality has skyrocketed in Texas, and is higher than in many other countries in the world,” the Democratic candidate said.

Vance, who is known for his conservative views, tried not to make extreme declarations on abortion. He only stated that he did not support a nationwide ban, although he supported limiting abortion to the 15th week. He added that Donald Trump would like individual states to decide on abortion regulations.

Migration, security and inflation

Vance attacked in turn Kamalę Harris on migration and economic issues. According to him, Harris, who is currently vice president, has all the tools to solve problems related to inflation and illegal migration now, and not only when she is elected.

– If Kamala Harris has such a great plan to solve the problems of the middle class, she should implement it now. Not when she asks to be elected, but when she does the job the Americans entrusted her with three and a half years ago, he said.

Walz defended Harris, noting that she was the attorney general of the state of California, which borders Mexico. “She is the only person in this race who has fought against international gangs smuggling people and drugs,” he said.

Both politicians also referred to the escalating conflict in the Middle East. According to Walz, Trump is too “capricious” to be trusted to handle the conflict. Vance, in turn, claimed that the world was much safer under Trump’s presidency.

Problematic questions

Both candidates also had to face difficult questions. Vance was asked about Trump’s statement that when he becomes president, he will carry out “the largest deportation of migrants in the history of the country.”

Vance was asked what the fate awaits families whose parents are migrants but their children, who were born in the U.S., have American citizenship. The Republican candidate twice refused to answer the question whether such families would be separated.

Vance also avoided answering a question from Walz about whether Trump lost the 2020 election, which he still has not admitted. Instead of responding, the Republican attacked Kamala Harris, claiming that she was trying to impose censorship on the Internet.

Walz, in turn, had to explain his own statement. He recently stated that he was in Hong Kong in June 1989 when the Tiananmen Square massacre took place. However, it turned out to be a lie, and Walz visited China two months after these events – in August.

– I went there this summer and I made a mistake about it. I was in Hong Kong and China during the pro-democracy protests. Then I learned a lot about what is needed to govern, he said.

Who won the debate?

Polls conducted immediately after the debate showed that the Republican candidate won by a narrow margin.

In a CNN poll, 51 percent of respondents said Vance was the winner and 49 percent said Walz. A similar result was also given by the CBS poll – 43%. chose Vance, and 42 percent Walz.

Americans said Walz did better on abortion (62:38%) and health care (59:41%). Vance, on the other hand, received higher ratings on the economy (51-49%) and immigration (52-48%). It is these last two issues that are considered most important to voters.

The US presidential election is scheduled for November 5.