NEW YORK (AP) — Tim Walz and JD Vance on Tuesday went after each other's running mates in a vice presidential debate that opened with a discussion of burgeoning domestic and international troubles — a hurricane that ravaged much of the southeast U.S. and growing fears of a regional Middle East war.
Both Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, and Vance, a Republican senator from Ohio, focused many of their largely cordial attack lines on the top of the ticket, as is traditional for VP debates. They each pointed to the crises of the day as reasons for voters to choose Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump. The debate unfolded in the final weeks of a campaign that has been defined by harsh, personal attacks and historic convulsions, including a candidate dropping out and two attempted assassinations.
Polls have shown Harris and Trump locked in a close contest as early voting begins across the country, giving added weight to anything that can sway voters on the margins, including the impression left by the vice presidential candidates. The heated tone of the campaign was mostly replaced by deep policy discussions, with the candidates sometimes saying they agreed with each other — even as they outlined vastly different visions about the future of the country. In one raw moment when Walz said his teenage son had witnessed a shooting at a community center, Vance expressed empathy.
“I’m sorry about that. Christ have mercy,” Vance said. “I ap.
