Vance, the Republican vice-presidential nominee of Donald Trump, presented a polished defense of the former president, backing his economic record in particular.
Walz, who is on the Democratic ticket with current vice president Kamala Harris, was more halting at the outset of the debate, but found his stride when he hit out at Trump’s repeated denial that he lost the 2020 presidential contest.
Although the conversation became heated at times, the encounter as a whole was notable for its relatively civil tone compared to a prior on-stage exchange between Trump and Harris last month.
The event comes as the race for the White House is tight, with Harris holding a narrow lead over Trump in national polls heading into the final weeks of the campaign. Crucially, however, the two remain very close in several key swing states that will likely impact the outcome of the Nov. 5 ballot.
Here’s a look at how some analysts are reacting to the debate:
UBS
“Despite their contrasting visions for America, the debate between Senator JD (NASDAQ:JD) Vance (R-OH) and Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) was notable for its civility and decorum. The debate covered a wide range of topics—ranging from immigration to taxation to health care. Vice-presidential debates rarely affect the outcome of presidential elections, but Tuesday’s was more important for two key reasons: this presidential race is incredibly tight, and this may be the final debate between any of the candidates for the executive branch of government before the election. On substance, this debate delivered.”
Raymond James
“Politically, the goal of a vice presidential candidate is to ensure voters are comfortable with them as president, if necessary; both candidates cleared that bar. On policy, we had a much more robust debate than at any other point of the campaign – echoing the experiences of the VP debates of 2016 and 2020. Stylistically, Senator Vance was more polished, and we expect will be viewed as the winner of the debate (especially given his net-negative favorability ratings).”
Wolfe Research
“[W]e think Vance was more effective, while Walz was shaky. If the debate helped anyone, it helped Trump-Vance, and VP debates do get 50 [million or more] viewers. But generally VP debates don’t matter much, and we don’t think this was an exception, especially with flash polls showing a split decision. We maintain our view that Harris is a slight favorite, but our expectations around today’s catalysts have contributed to keeping our Harris odds at 55% even as some polling-based models have pushed higher.”
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