US: J.D. Vance and Tim Walz will have the last major debate of the 2024 presidential election on Tuesday

US: Tuesday’s debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz may be the last significant one before the 2024 presidential election.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are unlikely to debate again, which makes it more important for their running mates to influence voters and steer clear of major blunders when they square off in person on Tuesday in New York.

Presidential elections are seldom influenced by vice presidential debates. Nonetheless, Vance and Walz have a unique chance to make a difference in the 2024 election since it is so close and might come down to the wire in a select few crucial battleground states.

The Democratic strategist Kait Sweeney said, “This is a race of inches.” According to her, “a moment that shifts the momentum” in a swing state like Nevada or Pennsylvania might result from the vice presidential debate.

Depending on how Vance and Walz approach the discussion, we may infer what that turning point in the argument would entail. With five weeks to go until Election Day, Harris leads Trump by a slight margin in the majority of national surveys, but in the crucial battleground states, the two contenders are drawing evenly.

Prior to being selected as respective party’s vice presidential choices, Vance, a first-term Republican senator from Ohio, and Walz, a Democratic governor of Minnesota, were not well-known figures in the country.

Before entering the Republican primary in July of 2022 and campaigning for the U.S. Senate seat in Ohio, Vance wrote a best-selling biography on his working-class upbringing in Appalachia.

Due to criticism from the Harris-Walz campaign and other Democrats on his stance on immigration and abortion, as well as remarks he made in the past disparaging women without children, Vance comes into the debate with poor favorability ratings.

According to recent polling averages, only 34% of Americans think highly of Vance, while 45% indicated they thought favorably of the first-term senator. In contrast, according to recent surveys, Walz is generally perceived positively by 40% of Americans and negatively by 36%.

Vance has the opportunity to attempt to win back some moderates and women during the debate, two demographics that Trump needs to win in November. It will be interesting to watch how he strikes a balance between this and his customary vice presidential position of attack dog.

“For Vance, the conundrum is trying to come off as more likeable while yet going all out. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish both at the same time, according to Christopher Devine, a University of Dayton political science professor and authority on vice presidential campaigns.

Republicans said that rather than becoming involved in a dispute over transgender rights and other divisive culture war topics, Vance should concentrate on the economy and border security.

“He needs to demonstrate that he has substance and depth,” Republican strategist Gregg Peppin of Minnesota said.

Terry Holt, a former George W. Bush campaign strategist, said that on Tuesday, Vance would probably focus more on portraying Harris and Walz as extreme liberals than on attempting to win over moderate voters who are scared off by his conservative views.

“He has a purpose. The goal is to define Kamala Harris, and likeability won’t be of much concern to him, according to Holt.

For his part, since he first emerged on the national stage as Harris’ running mate, Walz has made likeability a key component of his appeal to voters.

Democrats argued that the former high school teacher and football coach would have a similar difficulty as Vance in trying to be aggressive without coming out as too antagonistic.

“People generally like Walz. He’s going to have a fantastic night if he can convert it into some civil but pointed criticism of Trump and Vance, according to Elaine Kamarck, a senior scholar at the Brookings Institution and a seasoned member of the Democratic National Committee.

Democrats like Kamarck said that Walz can counter Vance’s criticisms by drawing attention to the disparity in their lengths of public service. After twelve years in Congress, Walz won the 2019 governor’s contest. Vance hasn’t been in government for more than two years.

Trump’s elderly age may also bring further scrutiny for Vance. At 78 years old, Trump would overtake President Joe Biden as the oldest U.S. president in history.

According to Devine, the authority on vice presidential hopefuls, Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 contest due to concerns about his age brought attention to the vice presidency and would increase interest in Tuesday’s discussion. Biden is 81 years old.

“That’s a question people will ask” about both candidates “going into the debate,” according to Devine. “Could I see this person taking over as president?”