The vice presidential debate matters more than you think

Vice presidential candidates have traditionally assumed the role of political attack dog, laying on opponents so that their running mate appears above the political fray. This has generally been less true since former President Donald Trump broke political norms.

But Walz, Minnesota’s Democratic governor, rose to national prominence by labeling rival Republicans “weird.” Vance, the junior Republican senator from Ohio, took on Vice President Kamala Harris’s party on immigration, notably by spreading a false story 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 larger role for the office that Walz and Vance are both seeking.

What is the vice president’s job?

The vice president presides over the Senate and is empowered to break ties, as Harris has done a record 33 times. It surpassed the previous high mark last year, which was set when John C. Calhoun was vice president from 1825 to 1832. The clerk also presides over the ceremonial certification of election results in Congress, which Vice President Mike Pence did even after crowds of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop the process and transition, some chanting “Hang Mike Pence!”

But the vice president’s main job is to be ready to take over if something happens to the president. Nine have done so after the death or resignation of a president—the last being Gerald Ford, who became president when Richard Nixon resigned in 1974.

The 25th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1967, specified the rules of succession, stating that the vice president becomes president “upon the removal of the president from office or upon his death or resignation.” It also allowed the president and Congress to nominate and approve a new vice president if that office becomes vacant.

Vice presidential historian Joel K. Goldstein said two recent assassination attempts against Trump raise “the prominence of the succession.” But he added that many voters view vice presidential nominees as appendages to the candidates who selected them, not necessarily as potential future presidents themselves.

“People look at somebody like, are they ready to be a little distance away?” Goldstein said. “But it’s also a matter of how good a decision-maker the person who elected him is.”

Memorable vice presidential debates featured Palin, Bentsen and Harris

In 1992, adm. James Stockdale, the running mate of third-party candidate Ross Perot, was full of air but looked confused as he opened the debate by saying, “Who am I? Why am I here?” His subsequent response to a question, “I didn’t open my hearing aid,” only reinforced that perception.

The No. 2 debate was highly anticipated in 2008 after Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate and saw a drop in the polls. But her run-in with then-Delaware Sen. Joe Biden is best remembered for Palin approaching him before kickoff and saying, “Can I call you Joe?” That was Palin trying not to misspell her opponent “O’Biden,” combining Biden’s name with that of her running mate, then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

Vice presidential candidate and Democratic Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen offered a scathing rejoinder against his opponent, Republican Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana, in 1988. After Quayle compared himself to John F. Kennedy, Bentsen responded, “You’re not Jack. Kennedy, Senator.” But it was one of the few high points of the Democratic ticket in a race he easily lost.

In 2020, Harris confronted Republican Vice President Mike Pence and said when he tried to interrupt her, “I’m talking,” a line he repeated in this campaign. But both candidates could have been overshadowed by a fly that perched on Pence’s hair for what seemed like an eternity.

Will the debate affect the campaign?

Choice no. 2 of a nominee has historically made little difference on Election Day. This year could be different.

Historical analysis by Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston, suggests that voters aren’t really swayed by a candidate’s running mate. Even the idea of ​​using an election to balance a ticket — such as pairing the first nominee of a major party who is a black woman with a white man, in which case Harris selects Walz — may be, also exaggerated.

“The evidence we have is that they do vote for the presidential candidate,” Jones said of Americans over the decades.

A key caveat could be that, given how close the current race is in swing states, “It’s always possible on the fringes that it matters,” Jones said.

One reason the Walz-Vance debate could change more minds this year is that Harris and Trump shared only one stage, in early September. That means Tuesday could be the last chance before Election Day for voters to see the two tickets in person.

But more likely, both Walz and Vance will simply need to avoid unforced memorable errors that can be replayed endlessly. Jones said such a race-changing gaffe was unlikely — but not impossible.

“They’re disciplined,” Jones said. “But all it takes is one.”