Millions of people tuned in to watch vice presidential candidates, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance, met at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City on Tuesday to engage in what may be the final debate of the 2024 presidential campaign.
The debate took place five weeks shy of Election Day, Nov. 5.
This was the first time the Democratic Minnesota governor and the Republican Ohio senator met face-to-face, coming on the heels of the Sept. 10 presidential candidate debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Candidates discussed issues including abortion rights, the housing crisis, plans for the state of the economy, border policies, gun laws and more.
The showdown provided various notable moments, including both candidates admitting they had been incorrect in previous statements.
Walz explained that he had misspoke about exactly when he was in Hong Kong, but was in the city the summer of the protests of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Vance explained that he has been open about his opinion change about Trump when asked about a now-deleted tweet and comments he made prior to running for office.
They also revealed there were areas the two fell in agreement when it came to topics such as the economy, childcare and housing. In some instances, candidates seemed to agree with their debate rival but not their respective running mate.
“I think that you want to solve this problem, but I don’t think that Kamala Harris does,” Vance told Walz when discussing immigration issues.
There was a moment of sympathy from Vance towards Walz when discussing America’s gun violence epidemic, the leading cause of death of children and teens in America, according to The New England Journal of Medicine. This issue is a concern for voters.
“Look, I got a, I got a 17-year-old, and he witnessed a shooting at a community center playing volleyball,” Walz said. “Those things don’t leave you.”
Once it was Vance’s turn to respond and explain his stance on gun violence, he began by extending condolences to Walz.
“Tim, first of all, I didn’t know that your 17-year-old witnessed the shooting. And I’m sorry about that,” Vance said.
Walz and Vance’s attacks were largely on opinions and actions of their respective running mates rather than personal attacks on each other.
Debate watchers responded to a CBS News poll regarding the debate which revealed an almost-even match between the two vice presidential candidates. The poll results concluded that 42% of viewers felt as though Vance claimed victory in the debate. When it came to Walz’s performance, 41% of viewers claimed it as a win, while 17% of viewers declared it a tie.
Megan Gauer and Ellie Marty can be reached at [email protected].
