Final Debate? Vance, Walz to face off Tuesday

U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are set to face off on the debate stage Tuesday night, the first and only vice-presidential debate of this 2024 presidential campaign.

CBS News anchors Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan will host the 90-minute debate at 9 p.m. eastern at their studio in New York City. Candidates agreed to no fact-checking from moderators and no muting of microphones.

Trump Campaign Senior Advisor Jason Miller told reporters on a press call Monday that Walz is “very good” at debates and they expect he will be “well-prepared.”

“He’s not going to be the wildly gesticulating caricature we see at rallies pointing to Harris and dancing about on the stage,” Miller said. “Walz is going to be buttoned up. He’ll be ready to defend his own radical left record in Minnesota and in Washington. Before that, let’s not forget his time for Congress that’ll be coming up tomorrow night, and Tim Walz will not hesitate to lie on command.”

Currently, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have no more scheduled debates, which means this could be the last debate before voters head to the polls in November. Right now, the race is too close to call with every swing state within the margin of error, according to Real Clear Politics polling average.

The Trump campaign Monday brought up Walz’ military service, which is almost certain to happen again at the debate Tuesday.

Vance has repeatedly spoken about his service in the Marine Corps and taken shots at Walz, who has a history of making misleading or false statements about his military record and rank during his career in politics, such as claiming he carried weapons of war into war when he actually never saw combat.

Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard but retired in the months before his unit was deployed to Afghanistan, another point of criticism for the governor.

Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla, led a letter signed by about 50 Republican lawmakers with military service blasting Walz last month.

“Repeatedly claiming to be a ‘Retired Command Sergeant Major’ when you did not complete the requirements was not honorable,” the letter said. “Nor was it honorable to claim to carry weapons ‘in war’ when you had not served in war, and abandoning the men and women under your leadership just as they were getting ready to deploy was certainly not honorable either.”

“To be blunt, when you falsely claim military service that did not happen and abandon your post, you diminish the real sacrifices made by veterans who did serve in combat,” the letter adds.

The Harris campaign defended Walz in August in a statement.

“In his 24 years of service, the Governor carried, fired and trained others to use weapons of war innumerable times,” the campaign said. “Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country – in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way.”

How Vance, a veteran himself, handles this attack line on Walz and how Walz defends it could be a defining moment of the debate.

Another potential line of of attack is Walz’ embracing of tough COVID restrictions and his hands-off approach to the riots in Minnesota during the Black Lives Matter violence in 2020.

Vance’s team should expect attacks on his past controversial comments, such as his opposition to abortion or criticism of “childless cat ladies,” a comment that has energized Vance’s opponents.

“I know we will cheer on Coach Walz on Tuesday when he debates JD Vance,” Harris’ campaign wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “But their debate should not be the last word. I think Donald Trump and I should debate again. As they say here in Vegas, I’m all in. But it looks like my opponent is ready to fold.”

However, both vice presidential candidates will likely attack the respective tops of the tickets, with Vance fielding criticism of Trump and Walz doing the same for Harris.

“After a rocky first two months on the national stage, the debate marks a get right opportunity for Senator Vance, who has typically excelled in this type of environment,” Republican strategist Colin Reed told The Center Square. “It’s his chance to pierce the veil of Governor Walz’ ‘aw shucks’ demeanor and get past the flannel shirts and camo hats and expose his policies that are far(ther) to the left than what Democrats want people to believe.”

The Trump-Vance campaign also said to expect Vance to hit Walz and Harris on illegal immigration, which has soared since President Joe Biden and Harris took the White House. Miller said Vance will also touch on the ongoing flights of migrants into the U.S., something that grabbed national attention after former President Donald Trump attacked Harris related to the flying of Haitian migrants into Springfield, Ohio.

Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., has helped Vance prepare for the debate by standing in for Walz in mock debates.

Emmer told reporters Monday that Walz has abandoned Midwestern values for far-left California values, a common theme of the campaign’s attack on the call.

“Tim Walz is nothing more than Gavin Newsom in a flannel shirt,” Emmer said.