Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill and Mia McCarthy recently published an article detailing concerns among Democrats following Governor Tim Walz’s (D) performance in Tuesday night’s debate against Senator J.D Vance (R-OH. The story suggests that the Democratic party is worried due to the lackluster performance from their representative in comparison to the highly praised showing by Vance, who has been receiving widespread acclaim among media elites for his performance during the event.
To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the situation, Hill and McCarthy spoke both on-and off-the-record with several Democrats in order to assess the impact of Walz’s debate performance. The article paints a picture of disappointment from the Democratic side as they believe Governor Walz did not capitalize on his opponents’ weaknesses during the debate. Despite extensive preparation for the event, some party members noted that Walz seemed to struggle at times when trying to argue why Vice President Kamala Harris would make a better president in comparison to her Republican counterpart.
Not only did Walz appear nervous and occasionally fumble over his words, but even his debate-night surrogates appeared somewhat surprised by the level of civility displayed by the governor throughout the night. This has led to concerns among Democrats that Governor Walz may not be prepared to effectively respond to questions or criticisms as the race progresses.
In a particularly damaging moment for Walz, he delivered a muddled answer about his previous claim that he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests – when he was not – which left many Democrats feeling that he was unprepared to handle such questions. Strategists and some Democratic party members noted this as an unforced error that could prove detrimental at this late stage of the race.
When questioned about the debate, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) told Politico that she believed there was “a lot of pressure” on Walz during the event, and acknowledged that he may have appeared out of his league in comparison to his opponent. While some Democrats conceded that Governor Walz could have been more aggressive in his approach, others defended him by stating that he focused on providing facts and presenting an optimistic vision for Kamala Harris’s potential presidency.
Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris are not accustomed to negative reviews. CBS News, which hosted the debate, provided the Harris-Walz ticket with 85% positive coverage between July 21 and September 27, according to a study conducted by the Media Research Center. In contrast, the Trump-Vance ticket received 81% negative coverage during the same period. The vice presidential debate attracted more than 43.15 million viewers across 15 networks, as reported by Nielsen ratings. However, this particular debate ranked as the fourth least watched of all twelve vice presidential debates held throughout the various presidential cycles.
As the race continues to heat up, it remains to be seen whether Governor Walz can overcome these recent setbacks and mount a more successful campaign against Senator Vance (R-OH. With continued scrutiny from both the media and the Democratic party, it is crucial for him to demonstrate that he has the necessary skills and experience to effectively represent his party and constituents in future debates and public appearances.