Although the debate contained a lot of attacks on the two presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, it was far from the pie-throwing that characterized political debates in the United States in recent years.
Both JD Vance and Tim Walz have been praised for their efforts in the debate and, unlike previous debates, no clear winner has been crowned. However, Vance came across as slightly more polished than his opponent, says Billy McCormac, a political analyst with a background in the Republican Party.
– The Trump world is quite satisfied tonight. Many were surprised at how well he handled the abortion issue. I’ve never seen a Republican so reflective and humble about it,” he says.
JD Vance said during the debate that Republicans can do more to win the trust of voters on the issue that is usually considered one of the heartland issues of Democrats.
“Walz does well in other contexts”
McCormac is supported by Alex Lange, a political analyst with a Democratic background, who also thinks Vance did a good job. However, this does not mean that Walz was far behind, says Lange.
– It was not expected, from the Democrats’ side, that he would be as flexible as Vance. Walz was chosen because he does very well in contexts other than debates.
Neither Lange nor McCormac believe that the vice-presidential debate will make any impression on public opinion. That is because they rarely do, as long as the presidential candidate’s match horse adheres to an important rule of thumb.
– “Do no harm” – i.e., do no harm. If they stick to it, these debates are mostly to show that you are ready for the job, says Alex Lange.
The debate was the only one scheduled between the vice-presidential candidates with just over a month remaining before the US election.
