When the vice presidential candidates take the debate stage in New York Tuesday evening, each may fundamentally appeal to a certain set of Californians.
Republican U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio is a Catholic conservative who briefly worked in Silicon Valley as a venture capitalist. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota is a liberal who once advised a high school LGBTQ club — and has been called “Gavin Newsom in a flannel shirt” by opponents.
Vice presidential debates have rarely made a smidgen of difference on Election Day, much less than secondary candidates themselves. Remember U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen to Dan Quayle in 1988? “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.” The Bush-Quayle ticket still won by a landslide.
But with the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump exceptionally tight, there’s a chance this year could be different.
“This is such a close race, with these razor-thin margins in the swing states, that it wouldn’t take much for something to matter,” said Melissa Michelson, Menlo College political science professor. “And so if something big happens at the debate, and that just moves a handful of people and a handful of precincts in one of these states, sure, theoretically, it could matter.”
The pressure is on Vance in particular, especially after Trump is widely seen as having lost his one and only debate with Harris last month.
Vance’s debunked assertions that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating pets in his Springfield, Ohio, district led to Trump’s memorable claims on the debate stage — “They’re eating the dogs! They’re eating the cats!” — which is now set to music in viral memes.
The issue will likely come up again if “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan of “Face the Nation” ask Vance about his comment to CNN’s Dana Bash that he was willing “to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention.”
Although the issue may seem like an easy win for Walz, it’s tricky territory.
“If they go to the cats and dogs and say that Vance admitted he made up this line, then Vance can talk about immigration and the border some more, which is not good for the Harris-Walz campaign,” Michelson from Menlo College said. “Regardless of Harris’ visit to the border, this is an issue where most people think that Trump has a stronger policy, and a lot of people are concerned about immigrants and what a continuing flow of immigrants into the United States is doing for the economy.”
In a race that could come down to less than 44,000 voters in six or seven swing states like it did in 2020, every vote counts. The economy and abortion likely will be two significant issues raised Tuesday night — and both candidates will work to appeal to coveted suburban women voters. Vance will likely tout Trump’s years in office when interest rates and inflation were lower. Walz will probably remind voters that Trump appointed Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, and point to Vance’s …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
