Let me cut to the chase: The vice presidential debate between Governor Tim Walz and Senator JD Vance will not decide the winner of the 2024 presidential election. 

The most notable moment in vice presidential debate history came in 1988 when Michael Dukakis’ running mate, Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX), lamented a pretentious Dan Quayle (R-IN), who had compared himself to John F. Kennedy.

“I served with Jack Kennedy,” Bentsen said. “I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”

It is an iconic line that remains a part of political discourse to this day. Then, the next month, the Dukakis-Bentsen ticket won a grand total of 10 states. 

This debate, however, will not decide the election, nor will it likely be remembered in a few weeks. You did not miss that much if you chose to watch playoff baseball instead. However, in an election that has featured little policy discussion—one candidate falsely claimed children are undergoing gender-affirming surgeries during the school day, and the other is taking hard-hitting interviews from MSNBC—the debate squared up as an opportunity to hear from both campaigns on the substantive issues.

In August, Kamala Harris announced Walz as her vice presidential pick at a rally at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa. In his introduction to America, Walz challenged Vance to debate.

“I can’t wait to debate the guy,” Walz said. “That is, if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up.”

Well, Tuesday, Oct. 1 was the night! Tens of millions of voters tuned in to see the two candidates square off in New York City at the CBS Headquarters. With no future debates planned between the two candidates at the top of the ticket, the vice presidential debate would be the last time the American people saw the two campaigns face off. Ultimately, if one candidate made a gaffe, it would still not be the biggest mistake a politician made all week in New York. (Hi, Eric Adams.) So, here’s what I thought.

 

Being a Book Salesman Helps

Vance came off as the slick and savvy debater. His years of media experience and being a polished book salesman—his 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” was a bestseller—likely helped. You may not like the guy, but you have to admit he made his points clearly and concisely—unlike the Republican at the top of the ticket. Donald Trump’s rhetoric for the presidency sounds like a bad impersonation of Al Capone: mean and vindictive. In comparison, during the debate, JD Vance gave the “live, laugh, love” pitch for Trumpism. 

On the other hand, Walz could have been better out of the gate. He stumbled through his words on the first question and confused Iran and Israel. However, as the night went on, he got better. Sure, Walz misspoke a few times, saying that he has became friends with school shooters, and described himself to the American people as a “knucklehead.” But, perhaps these blunders also created a sense of relatability between Walz and the average American.

A CBS News post-debate poll found that 42% of voters believed Vance won the debate, 41% believed Walz won, and 17% thought the debate was a tie. Or what they call in sports betting, a push! 

 

The Big Ten Debate 

Minnesota vs. Ohio. A linebacker with a neck brace and fans wearing striped overalls were all that were missing from making this a true Big Ten affair. Or, since the two vice presidential candidates are playing second fiddle to the presidential candidates, perhaps it was more like some Mid-American Conference action (think schools like Bowling Green and Akron). Who doesn’t love a little bit of Tuesday night MACtion?

In any event, both candidates have spent the campaign cycle trying to play up their Midwestern bonafides. Walz, a former high school football coach, gives off down-to-earth vibes. You can spot him wearing a camo hat and a Bruce Springsteen t-shirt while chowing down a pork chop on a stick at a state fair. Walz returned to his Midwestern roots during the debate, referencing the fact that he grew up in a small town in Nebraska and reminding audiences of the golden rule in Minnesota, which is to “just mind your own business.”

Vance, who was born in Middletown, Ohio, gave the condensed version of his memoir during the debate. He discussed how he grew up in abject poverty with a mother addicted to drugs and was raised by a grandmother who survived on social security. Vance used his Midwestern and Appalachian roots to speak about several issues: manufacturing jobs, undocumented immigrants, and abortion.

 

Boring is Better

This was easily the most civil and discourse-oriented debate there has been in the Trump era. The word of the night was not “weird” but “agree.” Vance and Walz said they agreed with each other no less than ten times—on issues ranging from wait times for asylum seekers to trade with China.

“I’ve enjoyed tonight’s debate, and I think there was a lot of commonality here,” Walz said at the end of the night, a sentiment Vance agreed with.

 

While the vice presidential candidates may not have provided Saturday Night Live with much material to work with—unlike Sarah “I can see Russia from my window” Palin, this is better for our country.

 

A Throwback to The Old Voting Patterns

Since Trump’s arrival in 2015, we have seen a shift in the working class’ voting patterns. Once a reliable voting bloc for the Democratic Party, they now lean Republican. Recent polling suggests that Kamala Harris is on pace to be the worst-performing Democratic nominee among union voters in 40 years. Concurrently, suburban and college-educated voters have shifted towards the Democratic Party; the “country club Republicans” are now Democrats.

Yet, the candidates appeared to harken back to the old era of politics in the debate—at least in terms of vibes. Sure, Walz is a bit goofy, and he is not a polished debater, but he gives off the impression of an old-school Democrat. He reminds you of the coach who taught American history at your high school that everyone loved. On the other hand, the Yale Law School-educated JD Vance seemed more in his element on the debate stage. With a custom suit and neatly trimmed beard, he seemed like the Augusta National Country Club candidate.  

Ultimately, though, this dynamic will only mean so much. In 2020, working-class voters chose a billionaire who lives in a country club over middle-class Joe from Scranton, Pa. 

 

All Rise

For the first time since 2008, the vice presidential candidates were standing at lecterns during the debate. Historically, they have been seated at tables. However, this debate was organized directly between the two campaigns rather than by the Commission on Presidential Debates, which had organized every debate since 1988. 

 

Any regrets?

Unfortunately for Vance, his debate skills have not translated well to the campaign trail. When interacting with voters, Vance sounds more like the original Siri on the iPhone 4s than a seasoned campaigner. Vance comes off as Trump’s mini-me and offers little appeal to voters outside of Trump’s current base. Trump continues to struggle with college-educated and female voters—figures such as former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum likely would have helped Trump close the gap with some voters in those demographics. While Vance’s debate performance may help boost turnout from Trump’s base, it likely did little to win over new voters.

The first rule in picking a vice president is to do no harm. Tim Walz fits that bill. By picking Walz, Harris lost few to no supporters and drew the praise of labor unions and progressive voters. Despite this, in what may be an election decided by one state (say, Pennsylvania), Harris may always have second thoughts about whether she should have passed over the state’s popular governor, Josh Shapiro. The website 538, which tracks opinion polling, has Harris leading Trump on average by 0.6% in Pennsylvania. Polling suggests that if Shapiro had been the vice presidential nominee, he might have given Harris as much as a five-point advantage in the all-important Keystone State.

Unless you love politics, you may never think about this debate again. One of these candidates will be elected to the position that Woodrow Wilson once described as “in explaining how little there is to be said about it one has evidently said all there is to say”; the other will be a Quizzo answer to go along with Joe Lieberman, Tim Kaine, and Estes Kefauver as failed candidates for Vice President. But for at least one night, we saw a return to a debate scene that was more civil and cordial. That’s a good thing.

 

Blake Fox is a member of the class of 2026 and can be reached at bfox@wesleyan.edu.