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Democrat Tim Walz accused his rival JD Vance of dehumanizing immigrants in the US, while the Republican accused the government of radical pro-abortion ideas.
US vice presidential hopefuls Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz faced off on Tuesday to defend key points of their political bosses’ government programme, in a debate marked by current events in the Middle East and the ravages of Hurricane Helene in the United States.
Republican Donald Trump ‘s running mate and Democrat Kamala Harris ‘ running mate shook hands in the CBS studio in New York in a debate in which politeness ruled from start to finish.
Moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan asked them how to deal with the crisis in the Middle East, which could lead to a regional conflict after 200 missiles were launched from Iran towards Israel on Tuesday.
They were also questioned about the emergency in the southeastern United States caused by the virulent Hurricane Helene, which has left more than 155 dead and incalculable damage.
During his visit to Wisconsin on Tuesday, one of the swing states, Trump did not even mention the debate of his running mate, but insisted that if he were leading the country, ” today’s attack on Israel would never have happened .”
Harris, however, reiterated her “unwavering” commitment to Israel and said she “fully” supports President Joe Biden ‘s order for the US military to intercept Iranian missiles.
Radical pro-freedom or pro-abortion?
Vance, for his part, accused Democrats of being ” radical pro-choice .” “No, we’re not, we’re pro-women. We’re in favor of the freedom for (women) to make their own choice,” Walz responded.
In 2022, the conservative-majority Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion, leaving it up to state legislatures to regulate what many women consider a right and which has been hampered or eliminated in many states.
The vice presidential candidates also laid out their respective visions for other pressing issues such as health insurance, child care, climate change and housing, which are key for voters when they cast their ballots on November 5.
But the attacks were particularly directed at their political bosses, in particular Donald Trump, whose name was repeated repeatedly throughout the debate.
The Republican has declined to face Harris in a second debate.
Asked about the 2020 election, Vance declined to say whether Donald Trump lost that election to Joe Biden. The Republican has never conceded defeat. During Tuesday’s debate, his vice presidential running mate accused Harris of promoting censorship.
Voice of the Midwest
Vance, 40, and Walz, 60, defend themselves as authentic voices for the crucial Midwestern states that could decide by a few thousand votes the winner of an election that polls show remains technically tied nearly a month before the vote.
History suggests vice presidential debates rarely influence outcomes, but in an atypical election campaign in which Harris has stepped in for President Biden mid-race, Tuesday’s contest may add up.
Thomas Whalen, an associate professor of social sciences at Boston University, says the debate ” will whet a lot of people’s appetites for Nov. 5.”
Walz and Vance were chosen to win votes in the country’s central states, where due to the archaic electoral college system that elects the president, a few thousand votes can make the difference.
Both are military veterans with strong blue-collar credentials: Vance is best known as the author of the memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” and Walz as a former teacher and football coach.
Although the audience for the debate is still unknown, Walz was looking to make himself known to an audience that knows little about him, following Harris’ rapid rise as Biden’s replacement on the Democratic ticket.
His progressive politics and the label of “weird” that the Democrat hung on Vance and Trump propelled him through the ranks of his party, but his rival tries to present him and Harris as “Marxists.”
