“Beyond the Ballot” is a column presented and created by the PHHS Politics Club. This column will explore electoral information, congressional controversies, and senatorial stories! Stay tuned for biweekly updates from your brand-new news source.

Welcome to the second edition of Beyond the Ballot for the 2024-25 school year! This week, we will be covering the Vice Presidential debate held on Oct. 1st starring candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance. 

This was the third debate in this election cycle, following the June and September showdowns between Trump and Biden plus Harris. However, as many viewers across America noted, this debate was unlike those in one significant manner: its civility. Americans reeled at the sight of two seemingly well-educated figures who managed to disagree in a manner unlike anything the country has seen post-2016. That’s not to say, of course, that this debate was perfect. It was simply a return to better times. 

Both sides, being the vice presidential candidates, had a lot to shoulder when it came to legitimizing their presidential candidate in the eyes of the people. Vance had to deflect questions about the former President’s erratic messages and ‘election denial’ controversy. On the other hand, Walz had to deflect questions about Vice President Harris’s last four years in office. As the column noted in the last edition, the weakest link in Harris’s campaign is why she has not implemented these policies she’s proposing now during her tenure in office. Essentially, it seemed that both debaters were keen on fervently denying the wrongs of their superiors. Hence, the debate rarely strayed too far into issues such as Trump’s COVID stance and Harris’s Afghanistan viewpoints. The disadvantages inherent in the presidential candidates led the debaters to disparage the opposition rather than address their side.

However, as with even the presidential debate, the poll results following this debate were inconclusive. It had worse ratings than the presidential debate, as it is generally a fact that vice presidential debates are not as popular nor are they as impactful. If anything, this debate was a campaign booster for Vance’s future in politics. While the debate was mostly even in terms of rhetoric, most agree that Vance won the debate simply because of the way he attacked Walz’s stances as much as he did Harris’s. Walz, on the other hand, preferred to attack Trump’s stances and actions. This is not to say that Walz was unable to effectively make counterpoints, but it is saying that Vance happened to be more topical to the vice presidential debate.

The future for the Republicans is promising– Vance, 40, is an up-and-coming senator from Ohio with a strong background in law and a marketable backstory. If he becomes the vice president, his political career will obtain an immense boost. If he does not, he may be marked as a “loser” and his reputation sullied. Regardless of the results, Vance managed to prove himself on the national stage by being able to speak effectively, something former primary candidate Governor DeSantis was unable to do just a few months back. 

Walz managed to upset the expectations for him and overperformed late in the debate. His shaky start did not prevent him from finding his footing, but numerous missteps and glaringly obvious dodges hurt his campaign a little. Yet, his long-time tenure in politics was evident, as he effectively debated using the law like the abortion issue. Regardless of one’s political views, Walz and Vance’s performance on Tuesday the 1st was commendable and was a step in the right direction for politics. Walz, 60, looks to have a promising future in his political career. 

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The numbers show it all, though. Trump seems to be taking ahead in the polls, but we’ll see what truly happens on Election Night: Nov. 5th.

Thus far, the polls have not shifted as a direct consequence of the debate like the June debate did. If anything, the Kamala honeymoon seems to be ending, as her explosive growth as seen in early September and August seems to have been just that.

Next time, we’ll address what to expect on election night and some predictions for the future.

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/02/g-s1-25869/vp-debate-tim-walz-jd-vance-takeaways