Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance will meet on a New York City stage Tuesday night for the only Vice Presidential debate of the 2024 general election season. As voters gear up to see the two engage side-by-side, the electorate will be able to compare in real time the two major frames for these candidates ahead of November— the coach vs. the ex-pundit.
The Midwest, Middle America roots at the hearts of both the Walz and Vance campaign will be on full display during the highly anticipated event.
Walz, a former high school teacher and assistant football coach, has not been shy to highlight his years in public service to appeal to a broader, more diverse audience. Vance, on the other hand, a best-selling author and former venture capitalist, often likes to bring up his Appalachian roots and detail how he was able to overcome his previous socio economic issues.
Both of their biographical pitches come from an effort to showcase their authenticity, a precious political commodity during a cycle where polls and public opinion seem to be stuck in place. But as November quickly approaches, are candidates' narratives working in appealing to Latino voters?
A new poll by UnidosUS, the country's largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, showed a snapshot of Latinos' perception of both vice presidential candidates ahead of their debate. The study was conducted between August 4-23, among 3,000 Latino eligible voters with oversamples in key battleground states like Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania. The margin of error is plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.
The study suggests that Hispanic voters have an unfavorable opinion of the GOP Vice-Presidential candidate by a 48-26 margin. By comparison, respondents have a favorable opinion of the Democratic nominee by a 48-22 margin.
Because of this, UnidosUS argues that Sen. Vance's presence on the Republican ticket may harm former President Donald Trump's chances with Hispanic voters. By the numbers, when asked about casting their ballots between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump, 32% of respondents stated Trump. But when throwing the VP candidates into the mix, that number went down to 30%, a significant figure during a cycle where every vote counts.
The debate on Tuesday night will come after months of both Vance and Walz hammering each other. The Governor earned the Democratic vice presidential nomination partly due to his branding of the GOP ticket as "weird," which went viral on social media and was subject to many news cycles. Vance, a military veteran, has questioned Walz's service record.
Other themes that may be prevalent on the debate stage will likely be the economy— often cited as the top priority for voters—, reproductive rights and family issues (with Walz likely bringing out his family's own struggles with fertility and Vance's comments on "childless cat ladies"); and, of course, immigration.
Over the past weeks, Vance and Trump have sought to make immigration the top focus for the cycle, constantly bringing up baseless claims that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio are abducting and eating their neighbor's pets.
Although those rumors have been debunked, even by Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, Vance and Trump have doubled down on the story. Recently, pressed on the claim by CNN's Dana Bash, Vance said, "if I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do."
The Vice Presidential debate will be moderated by CBS' Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan, at 9 p.m. Eastern time. As for the presidential candidates, Harris is publicly pressuring Trump to accept another debate, but he keeps declining.
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