Vice Presidential candidates Tim Walz (Democratic Governor of Minnesota) and JD Vance (Republican Senator from Ohio) took their talents to the debate stage in what may possibly be the last debate held in the 2024 election cycle. Many agreed that it was a much more civil debate than the previous two Presidential debates, as Walz and Vance appeared friendly and even stated that they agreed with the other on many issues during the CBS debate. 

Viewers believed that Walz seemed to be struggling at first, and he was criticized for his first question about how he would handle the current state of the Hamas-Israel conflict. However, Walz later seemed to find his footing and confidently spoke about abortion rights when asked. On the other hand, Vance’s favorability had been trending down in recent polls taken prior to the debate, but he seemed to take a step in the right direction during the debate, with a plethora of viewers agreeing that he improved his reputation. 

Tensions rose during the debate when the moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan asked the question of the state of democracy in the United States. This led to an exchange between the two candidates where Walz asked Vance whether or not Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election, to which Vance did not answer. Vance stated that Trump told protesters to protest peacefully, and most of his answer was focused on criticizing Kamala Harris’s policies. One of the most controversial moments during the debate was when Tim Walz was asked if he was lying when he stated that he was in China during  The Tiananmen Square protests in the spring of 1989. However, he started talking about his background and did not debunk the fact that he was not there.

Overall, it was a competitive debate, but both came off as friendly and agreeable which satisfied many viewers who praised the civility of it, especially compared to the past couple of presidential debates this year.