A vice presidential debate performance leaves Democratic strategists searching for silver linings.
The New York Post reported that Democratic insiders are attempting to minimize the impact of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's underwhelming showing in Tuesday night's vice presidential debate against Republican Senator JD Vance.
Party sources expressed disappointment with Walz's performance, noting several verbal missteps and missed opportunities to challenge his opponent.
Some Democrats privately admitted that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who was also considered for the vice presidential nomination, might have fared better against Vance. However, they remain hopeful that Walz's debate stumbles won't significantly harm Kamala Harris's presidential campaign.
Democratic insiders drew parallels between Walz's debate struggles and President Joe Biden's previous debate performances. One well-connected party source described Walz as looking "eerily similar to Biden up there," referencing the retiring incumbent's challenging debate against Donald Trump on June 27.
The same source criticized Harris's campaign strategy, stating:
[Harris'] campaign has no message other than 'I'm not Donald Trump.' She didn't pick Shapiro as VP because he's Jewish — a blatant attempt to placate antisemites on the far left. Tim Walz is a nice guy, but there's no way that Josh Shapiro would have gotten schooled that badly by JD Vance.
Some Democrats suggested that Walz's debate mishaps might be less damaging due to the public's familiarity with Biden's own propensity for gaffes. They noted that while Walz is significantly younger than Biden, his issues were not attributed to cognitive concerns.
Despite the overall disappointment, Democratic strategists pointed to some promising moments for Walz during the debate. They highlighted his late-debate challenge to Vance regarding the acceptance of the 2020 election results, which quickly became a Harris campaign advertisement.
A source close to the Harris campaign argued that this exchange provided the most significant impact of the night, stating:
What's most important is that the highlights and the clips coming from that are going to be pretty easy to spin from the campaign against Vance.
Democrats also noted that initial polling showed independents were not overly critical of Walz's performance despite negative reactions from focus groups.
Many observers, including Democratic operatives, expressed relief at the unexpectedly civil tone of the debate. The cordial exchanges between Walz and Vance were seen as a refreshing change in an increasingly contentious election season.
One Democratic aide on Capitol Hill predicted that the polite demeanor displayed by both candidates would benefit them moving forward. Another operative praised a particularly poignant moment when Vance responded sympathetically to Walz's comment about his son witnessing a shooting.
In conclusion, Democrats are working to minimize the impact of Tim Walz's debate performance against JD Vance. They drew comparisons to Biden's past struggles while highlighting positive moments and the debate's civil tone. Ultimately, party insiders believe the vice presidential debate is unlikely to dramatically shift the presidential campaign's trajectory.
