Two new politicians came to the debate stage Tuesday night, and unlike the previous presidential debates, this one felt weirdly refreshing. Undoubtedly, Donald Trump has made the debates more entertaining than in any previous political year. However, the vice presidential debate felt nostalgic; it felt like an actual debate Americans deserved. Indisputably winning was Republican JD Vance, who dominated an unconfident Tim Walz in almost every topic. It was a glimpse of light for Republicans in this presidential election.
Vance proved last night that Republicans can win a civil debate, and it seemed like Vance had prepared for this his whole life. Walz seemed surprised and made major gaffes by stumbling through his speech, like saying he was "friends with school shooters." He crashed out when questioned about lying about being in Tiananmen square. He looked like a deer in headlights when he couldn't come up with an answer to his lies. Vance found a way to look smooth and confident throughout the debate while presenting new ideas on climate change and the economy.
The biggest point Vance made was linking Walz and Harris to the country's failures through the Biden administration. Walz tried to do something similar with the Trump administration, but you can tell he had too much to say and was prepared to say it rather than naturally reacting to attacks. This shows his lack of media training and experience. To no one's surprise, not doing interviews did not turn out well in the long run for Walz.
The most significant difference between Walz and Vance was proven last night too. The debate is about who is more middle class. Most of the answers from the Harris-Walz campaign contained some elements about being middle class, with no other substance or answer, but realistically, Walz was not able to express his background in a natural way. There were opportunities for Walz to express his past life like being a youth football coach, but instead of looking like a Nick Saban, Walz looked more like Billy Napier. Vance proved to be a middle-class person. Vance has shown that he is the most relatable candidate on this ticket through his life experiences of poverty and abuse. Vance has given a voice to the actual people of middle-class America. This was clearly shown through personality and policy throughout this debate.
Walz hit Vance on Jan. 6, 2021, and the 2020 election hard. In reality, these issues do not matter anymore; the working-class family in America does not care about a protest at the Capitol. They care about having food on the table and a future to look forward to. Democrats have beaten the dead horse of Jan. 6 so much over the last three years that it has become a dead talking point to any sensible American. Democrats should be the last party arguing over the concept of who is a threat to Democracy; they currently have a presidential candidate who has had zero votes cast in her name and a vice presidential candidate who argued for speech censorship laws at this debate. So, who poses a threat to democracy?
Walz and Vance did have moments of agreement in the debate. Vance showed empathy towards Walz when he spoke about his son witnessing a shooting. These moments also provided a glimpse of hope many anti-Trump voters were looking for in a canidate too. Even if Trump loses this election, Vance showed he could have the personality and policy to bring anti-Trump voters back into the party.
While both candidates have been previously labeled as unconventional, Vance was able to dispel this notion during the debate. Despite the media's attempts to propagate false narratives about each candidate, Vance managed to demonstrate why he is the top choice for vice president. He has become a symbol of the new wave of conservatives, nurtured by groups like The Heritage Foundation and The Daily Wire. This new generation of Republicans, represented by Vance, signals a shift in the Republican party. Love it or hate it, Vance is the future of the Republicans post-Trump. If Trump and Vance emerge victorious in this election, we can expect to see more of Vance in the years to come. On the other hand, if Kamala Harris and Walz win, we can anticipate Walz being sidelined before her re-election campaign.
Lucas Sprung is a UF political science and international relations junior.
