Honestly, the bar for political debates has been in the basement for a while. We've grown used to shouting matches, personal insults, and moderators losing control of the room. So, when JD Vance and Tim Walz took the stage at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, the vibe was... weirdly normal? It was civil. It was polite. At one point, they were basically agreeing with each other on the "problem" even if they fought over the "solution."
But "nice" doesn't win elections.
📖 Related: Israel War News Today: What Really Happened with the Board of Peace
If you’re looking for a simple answer on who did better in the vice presidential debate, the data tells a bit of a split story. A CBS News/YouGov flash poll taken right after the 90-minute session showed JD Vance with a razor-thin edge: 42% of viewers thought he won, while 41% went for Tim Walz. Another 17% just called it a tie and went to bed.
The Slick Debater vs. The Nervous Coach
JD Vance showed up looking like he’d spent the last month in a dark room practicing every possible pivot. He was smooth. Almost too smooth. He managed to take some of Donald Trump’s more chaotic stances and dress them up in Yale Law School vocabulary. For a guy who entered the night with some of the lowest favorability ratings for a VP pick in decades—sitting around -12 or worse depending on the poll—he did exactly what he needed to do. He humanized himself. He talked about his mother’s struggle with addiction. He didn't sound "weird," which was the main label the Harris-Walz campaign had been trying to make stick.
Then there’s Tim Walz.
He started rough. Really rough. You could see the nerves in his eyes during the first 15 minutes. He was stumbling over words, looking down at his notes, and at one point, he had a truly bizarre "I’m a knucklehead" moment when trying to explain why he claimed he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests (he wasn't).
Where the Momentum Shifted
Despite the shaky start, Walz found his footing when the conversation moved to "kitchen table" issues. He’s got that "Midwestern Dad" energy that resonates when he talks about healthcare or school shootings. On reproductive rights, Walz was clearly more comfortable. He leaned into the stories of women affected by state abortion bans, a topic where Vance struggled to do anything other than say he wanted to be "pro-family."
👉 See also: Why Did Justin Trudeau Resign? What Most People Get Wrong
However, the real haymaker came at the very end.
It was the 2020 election question. Walz asked Vance point-blank if Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. Vance dodged it, saying he was "focused on the future." Walz pounced. "That is a damning non-answer," he said. It was the one moment where the "polite neighbor" mask slipped, and it likely saved Walz's night in the eyes of many pundits.
Policy vs. Performance
If we’re judging based on who "looked" more like a Vice President, Vance probably takes the trophy. He stayed calm even when the moderators, Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan, cut his mic during a heated back-and-forth about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio. He never looked rattled.
But if you look at the issues, the audience was split.
- Immigration: Vance won here. He kept steering every question—from housing costs to gun violence—back to the border. It’s a classic Republican play, and he executed it flawlessly.
- The Economy: This was a wash. Both candidates spent their time blaming the top of the other ticket. Walz hit the "Trump tax cuts for billionaires" line, while Vance hammered "Harris-Biden inflation."
- Healthcare: Walz took the lead. He spoke about the Affordable Care Act with a level of specificity that Vance couldn't match, especially since Trump’s "concept of a plan" is still just that—a concept.
Did It Actually Matter?
Historians love to say that VP debates don't move the needle. Usually, they're right. But 2024 wasn't a usual year. This was the final scheduled debate of the entire election cycle. No second Trump-Harris match. No more rounds. This was the closing argument.
Vance’s primary goal was to fix his image. He did that. His favorability went up by double digits in some post-debate polls. Walz’s goal was to not mess up the lead Harris had built. He mostly did that, despite the "knucklehead" comment.
The reality? Most people watched the debate and saw what they wanted to see. Republicans saw a future leader of the MAGA movement who can actually explain policy. Democrats saw a steady, empathetic guy who understands the struggles of normal people.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re still trying to figure out which way to lean after seeing who did better in the vice presidential debate, don't just rely on the 30-second clips you see on TikTok or X. Those are designed to make you feel a certain way, not inform you.
- Read the full transcript. Look at the answers on the Middle East and housing. Sometimes the "slick" answer is actually dodging the core question.
- Check the fact-checks. Both men played fast and loose with some numbers. Vance's claims about the "border czar" and Walz's comments on the "Project 2025" connection deserve a second look.
- Look at the running mates. At the end of the day, these guys are the backup. Make sure you’re comfortable with the person at the top of the ticket, because that’s who is actually on the ballot.
The debate didn't give us a knockout blow, but it did give us a very clear look at the two different versions of America these parties are selling. One is polished and combative; the other is folksy and protective. Which one fits your life better? That’s the only poll that matters.