The Vice Presidential Debate was held via CBS News on the evening of October 1st, between Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance and the Minnesota Democratic governor Tim Walz. This debate comes as early ballots become available for voting, and the election for President looms above all. As of right now, no further debates have been planned for 2024. People are making up their minds, deciding who deserves their vote. All forms of division were kept to a minimum during the debate. “I thought it was more proper and well-conducted than the Presidential Debate.” Palmer Barnett, a senior, said. As opposed to the presidential debate, the vice presidential debate was more level, with far fewer arguments present between Vance and Walz. According to The New York Times, “It was a substantive and mostly civil debate between two Midwestern men that laid bare the policy chasm between the two parties on immigration, abortion, and foreign policy.” It’s the President’s job, in these debates, to campaign, and it’s the Vice President’s job to convince. It’s the President’s job to build the machine, and it’s the Vice President’s job to ensure it runs smoothly.
Above all, what was shown in the debate was representation. Walz represented the Liberal Party, and Vance the Conservative Party. An entire political party, of different facets and levels of extremity, has been folded into one candidate. One candidate who, as with the Presidential Debate, strives to unite their political party, to bring every person together, so that they can win the election come November.