VP debates rarely matter - the Walz v Vance showdown is different - video Dailymotion

Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance will meet for their one and only vice-presidential debate on Tuesday night in New York City.

Transcript

00:00While the stakes in these kind of running-mate face-offs are typically low and undercard to

00:04the presidential main event, this one might be different. In a tight race that could be decided

00:10by tens of thousands of votes in a handful of states, every opportunity to generate positive

00:15attention and political momentum is precious. At the very least, the debate will be a fascinating

00:21contrast between two men with very different styles and political beliefs and two campaigns

00:26with distinct strategies for winning the White House. Donald Trump announced his selection of

00:32Vance back in July, at the start of the Republican National Convention and just a day after his near

00:37assassination. The former president was riding high in the polls, and his pick of the 40-year-old

00:44Ohio senator was viewed not only as a play to the white working class in the industrial Midwest—a

00:49key demographic in a region that is a top electoral battleground—but also as a way to establish his

00:54political legacy. Unlike Trump's first vice president, Mike Pence, Vance is an ideological

01:01kindred spirit whose focus on trade and immigration matched Trump's top political priorities.

01:07If Vance was a front-runner to be Trump's running mate,

01:10Walz's path to the Democratic No. 2 spot was considerably more unlikely.

01:15After Joe Biden abandoned his re-election bid, Vice President Kamala Harris stepped

01:20in as the standard-bearer and shortly thereafter began her ticket-mate search.