Debate receives national, campus praise
Senator J. D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Governor Tim Walz (D-Minnesota) met for the vice presidential debate on October 1 in New York City. The debate, hosted by CBS, came as the presidential race remains essentially deadlocked nationwide. With under 30 days left to go until the election, polls show neither ticket is able to maintain a consistent lead in any of the key swing states.
The candidates discussed a variety of topics during the event, including the response to hurricane Helene, immigration, housing, personal scandals, abortion, gun violence, inflation, healthcare, childcare, and the state of democracy. Despite the close state of the race, viewership of the vice presidential debate significantly declined from 57.9 million in 2020 to just 43.2 million in 2024.
The debate was praised across the political spectrum for its focus on policy relative to the matchup between Trump and Harris a month earlier. According to a CBS News / YouGov Poll, 42 percent perceived J. D. Vance as the debate’s victor, 41 percent said Walz had won, and 17 percent said it was a tie. In addition, 88 percent perceived the debate as generally positive. A CNN / SSRS poll also found that a slim majority of viewers believed Vance had won, 51 percent to 49 percent.
Reactions on Notre Dame’s campus were mixed, but generally favorable towards the debate and Vance’s performance in particular.
Freshman Tim Katz praised the debate’s positivity: “The biggest thing that stood out to me was the civility and respect; it gave me hope in politics for the future.”
Keough Hall resident Alex Surface shared this sentiment: “I much preferred this debate to the presidential, and the bipartisanship is something we haven’t seen in years which is good to see again.”
Regardless of political affiliation, the vast majority of those who spoke with the Rover felt that Vance had won the debate.
One student, Annabelle Tautges, told the Rover, “Vance won. It was not a source of entertainment, I didn’t want to go pop some popcorn. I’m not planning on voting for Trump-Vance, but I thought he was well spoken and made concrete points.”
Tautges continued, “I’m Minnesotan so I love Walz, but his answer to the China question was not great. However, he is a genuine person, and I’ve seen that aspect of him in person at his events,” she continued.
At one point in the approximately 105-minute-long debate, Vance clashed with the CBS moderators in what would be one of the most watched moments of the night. The dispute began after Vance spoke on the recent influx of approximately 20,000 Haitian migrants to the small town of Springfield, Ohio. According to the New York Times, “CBS said the moderators […] would primarily focus on encouraging the ground rules, rather than fact-checking.”
Freshman Jack Ring criticized CBS’ conduct in hosting the event, telling the Rover, “The unfair moderation shows how it’s Trump-Vance versus the machine, rather than them against the Harris-Walz ticket.”
Despite Vance’s strong performance, a recent New York Times analysis indicated that “while … vice-presidential debates have delivered some memorable moments, there is little evidence that they have a meaningful impact on elections overall.”
This sentiment was reflected on Notre Dame’s campus. First-Year Class Council Representative Chandler Davis said, “I think J. D. Vance won. My position was not affected at all by the debate, I am still a Harris supporter.”
Davis continued, “I feel that this debate was one of the most boring I have watched, but that’s a good thing because the previous debates were so hostile and this was so civil. They showcased true American values.”
For some students, however, the debate did seem to have some impact on who they would ultimately end up supporting. Freshman Nick DeNatale said, “I think Vance won and the debate was very civil. Both parties did a good job. The debate definitely swayed me towards the Trump-Vance ticket because it painted a picture that made them seem more electable.”
DeNatale concluded, “I think the addition of Vance definitely helps the ticket.”
With no further debates scheduled, it is likely that the VP debate was the last head-to-head confrontation between the two tickets before the election on November 5.
Colin Heil is a freshman studying political science. He can be reached at cheil@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: Modified from photos by Gage Skidmore via CC 2.0
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