Who won the Walz-Vance VP debate?

The debate was hosted by CBS News in New York City. The questions were directed to each candidate, with two minutes to answer and two minutes to rebut. Each candidate was given an additional minute to clarify. Instead of continuing with the microphones, as was the case during the two presidential debates, CBS News left them on but reserved the right to mute them to “preserve decorum.”

Tuesday's debate was the final face-off between the presidential and vice presidential candidates in the 2024 election. It caps one of the most eventful presidential debate cycles to date, with President Joe Biden dropping out of the race after the first presidential debate in June and subsequently surging Harris to a formidable position rose to the top of the list.

The debate also comes amid a violent escalation in fighting in the Middle East after an Israeli ground attack in southern Lebanon triggered a barrage of missile attacks from Iran on Israel.

For this reason, the Middle East was the first topic. Both candidates were asked whether they would support a preemptive strike by Israel against Iran. Walz, who got off to a slow start, didn't seem to give a clear answer and instead took the opportunity to attack Donald Trump: “When Iran shot down a plane in international airspace, Donald Trump tweeted.”

Vance also pivoted back to the top, noting that Iran is now closer to a nuclear weapon than ever before. He added: “It is up to Israel what it believes needs to be done to ensure the security of its country, and we should support our allies.”

It would become the theme of the evening: Each of the candidates chose to attack their respective competitors rather than each other.

Predictably, the topic of immigration led to one of the longest discussions of the evening, sparked by the question of whether Trump's proposed mass deportation plan would result in undocumented adult immigrants being separated from their U.S.-born children.

Vance attacked Harris' record on the border, then Walz attacked Vance for deviating from a bipartisan border bill — and for spreading stories about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio.

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Aside from a moment when hosts Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan turned off the microphones after the conversation about immigration got out of hand, the evening was largely tame and mutually respectful, if a little tense.

Walz dodged a question about his claim that he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests, although that was not the case. “Walz's response to Tiananmen was choppy and wishy-washy,” says Panagopoulos.

Near the end of the debate, Walz prevailed in the exchange that Panagopoulos said was his best moment: when he asked Vance whether Trump won or lost the 2020 election. Vance completely ducked and said Harris was engaging in “censorship on an industrial scale.”

Walz called it “a damn non-answer.”

“Until the abortion exchange, Vance arguably did a better job on the rhetorical side: Many of his answers tended to be clearer, with each answer more clearly focused on a single value, such as “peace through strength” in the Middle East, or we must Trump's “emulate strict immigration policies,” says Beauchamp.

The candidates shook hands before and after the debate. At the end, they spoke briefly and were joined on stage by their spouses.

So who won?

“When it comes to who voters would most like to have a beer with, most would probably choose Walz,” says Panagopoulos.

But he adds: “Vance was more steadfast, putting Walz more on the defensive, but also more malicious.”

“While Vance criticized Harris in some ways, it was largely circumstantial,” Beauchamp says.

“In general, both candidates were polite and continually praised each other,” Beauchamp said. “This is both a misrepresentation of their mutual views and, contrary to those who praise civil discourse above all else, not necessarily the best way to clarify politics and values ​​to viewers.”

All in all, Panagopoulos says the clash may not make much difference. Historically, vice presidential debates have had little impact on elections.

Both campaigns responded quickly to developments in the Middle East on Tuesday. Harris reiterated her commitment to Israel's security and called Iran a “destabilizing, dangerous” force in the Middle East. Trump said Iran would be making a “big mistake” if it attacked Israel.

“I fully support President Biden’s order for the U.S. military to shoot down Iranian missiles targeting Israel,” Harris said, according to Reuters. “Early indications indicate that Israel was able to repel this attack with our help.”