WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice Presidential hopefuls Tim Walz and JD Vance squared off Tuesday night in what may be the last debate of the 2024 presidential campaign. It was the first encounter between Minnesota's Democratic governor and Ohio's Republican senator, following last month's debate between the tops of their tickets, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. No more debates are on the political calendar before Election Day.
Tuesday's confrontation came as the global stakes of the contest rose again as Iran fired missiles at Israel . The vice presidential hopefuls sparred over the violence in the Middle East, climate change and immigration. Here are some takeaways from Tuesday's debate.
Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel on Tuesday elicited a contrast between the Democratic and Republican tickets on foreign policy: Walz promised “steady leadership” under Harris while Vance pledged a return to “peace through strength” if Trump is returned to the White House. The differing visions of what American leadership should look like overshadowed the sharp policy differences between the two tickets. The Iranian threat to the region and U.
S. interests around the world opened the debate, with Walz pivoting the topic to criticism of Trump. “What’s fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter,” Walz said, then referenced the “nearly 80-year-old Donald Trump talking about crowd sizes” and responding to global crises by twe.