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By WILL WEISSERT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tim Walz And J.D. Vance may have a chance to reshape the political landscape in their first and only debate on Tuesday.
Vice presidential picks have traditionally taken on the role of political attack dog, attacking opponents so that their running mate can appear above the political fray. That’s generally less true since the former president Donald Trump distorted political norms.
But Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, gained national fame by labeling rival Republicans as “weird.” Vance, the Republican junior senator from Ohio, has become vice president Kamala Harris ‘ party on immigration, especially by spreading a false narrative about Haitian immigrants in his home state which Trump then cited during his own debate with Harris.
Here’s a look at past vice presidential debates — and the expanded role of the office that Walz and Vance are both seeking.
What is the job of the vice president?
The vice president presides over the Senate and has the authority to cut ties, as Harris has done a record 33 times. Last year she surpassed the previous high markwhich took place since John C. Calhoun was vice president from 1825 to 1832. The office holder also ceremonially presides in Congress over the certification of election results, which Vice President Mike Pence even did after an election campaign. gang of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to halt the trial and transition of power, chanting, “Hang Mike Pence!”
But the vice president’s most important job is to be ready to take over if something happens to the president. Nine have done so after the death or departure of a president — the last was Gerald Ford, who became president when Richard Nixon resigned in 1974.
The 25th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1967, spelled out the rules of succession and stated that the vice president becomes president “in the event of the removal of the President from office, or of his death or resignation.” It also allowed the president and Congress to appoint and approve a new vice president if that office became vacant.
Vice Presidential Historian Joel K. Goldstein said two recent assassination attempts on Trump increase “the salience of succession.” But he added that many voters view vice presidential candidates as appendages of the candidates who selected them, and not necessarily as potential future presidents themselves.
“People look at someone like they’re ready to be gone at a moment’s notice?” Goldstein said. “But it’s also about how good a decision maker the person who chose him is.”
Memorable vice presidential debates with Palin, Bentsen – and Harris
In 1992, Admiral James Stockdale, running mate of third-party candidate Ross Perot, went light-hearted, but seemed confused as he opened the debate by saying, “Who am I? Why am I here?” His subsequent response to a question, “I didn’t have my hearing aid up,” only reinforced that perception.
The No. 2 seed debate was highly anticipated in 2008, after Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate and saw a surge in the polls. But her confrontation with then-Delaware Senator Joe Biden is best remembered because Palin approached him before the start and said, “Can I call you Joe?” That was Palin trying to avoid accidentally calling her opponent “O’Biden,” confusing Biden’s name with that of his running mate, then-Senator Barack Obama of Illinois.
Vice presidential candidate and Texas Democratic Senator Lloyd Bentsen offered one stinging response to his opponent, Republican Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana, in 1988. After Quayle compared himself to John F. Kennedy, Bentsen responded: “You’re no Jack Kennedy, Senator.” But it was one of the Democratic ticket’s few highlights in a race it lost handily.
In 2020, Harris faced Republican Vice President Mike Pence and declared when he tried to interrupt her, “I’m speaking,” a phrase she’s repeating in this campaign. But both candidates could have been overshadowed by one fly that was on Pence’s hair for what felt like an eternity.
Will the debate influence the campaign?
The choice of a No. 2 nominee has historically made little difference on Election Day. This year it could be different.
Historical analysis by Mark P. Jones, a professor of political science at Rice University in Houston, suggests that voters are not really influenced by a candidate’s running mate. Even the idea of using a choice to balance a ticket — such as pairing the first major party nominee, a woman of color, with a white man in the event that Harris chooses Walz — can also be exaggerated.
“The evidence we have is that they really do vote for the presidential candidate,” Jones said of Americans through the decades.
One key caveat might be that given how close the current race appears to be in swing states, “it’s always possible that it will matter at the margins,” Jones said.
One reason the Walz-Vance debate could change more opinions this year is that Harris and Trump shared the stage only once, in early September. That means Tuesday may be the last chance before Election Day for voters to see the two tickets square off directly.
But it’s more likely that both Walz and Vance will simply have to avoid memorable, unforced errors that can be replayed endlessly. Jones said such a race-changing blunder is unlikely – but not impossible.
“They’re disciplined,” Jones said. “But it only takes one.”
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