Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, speaks during Tuesday’s vice presidential debate with Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
AP
From “more polished” to “more authentic,” suburban political experts didn’t pull their punches in analyzing the performances of GOP Sen. JD Vance and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’ in Tuesday’s debate.
Of the two candidates running for vice president, “I give the edge to Walz, because I think he was more authentic and more in sync with mainstream values. He’s not phony,” South Elgin Democrat Beth Penesis said of the Minnesotan.
Regarding Vance, “it’s easy to appear smooth if you don’t care about anything but manipulating truths in an effort to win,” added Penesis, a 2024 DNC delegate.
Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Jeanne Ives of Wheaton called Ohio’s Vance the victor. “He looked much better, he was more polished,” she said.
“At times, Tim Walz looked like a deer in the headlights and certainly fumbled over his first answer.”
Vance “did not take any of the bait from moderators or Walz. He stayed above the fray,” Ives said.
Ives, a former state lawmaker, thought Vance made an effective point in “that Harris is in the position where she could affect policy and she’s not,” as vice president.
Penesis contended, “there’s a thing called Congress that usually passes bills and writes bills. We all know why the immigration bill didn’t go through, (Vance is) part of that,” she said.
“I thought JD Vance came out looking very impressive,” Republican state Rep. Jeff Keicher of Sycamore said, giving the senator high marks for confidence and factual knowledge.
He praised both men for civility. “Here in the Midwest we get made fun of because we’re too nice, but that was clearly on display.”
But “of course, Gov. Tim Walz was the winner,” Democratic State Central Committee member Kristina Zahorik of Oakwood Hills said.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, talks with Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after the vice presidential debate Tuesday.
AP
“Coach Walz showed up to the debate as himself, unlike Vance who tried to mimic Midwest nice, but forgot it includes telling the truth, like just saying: ‘Yes — Trump lost the 2O20 election and Jan. 6 was an insurrection.’”
That moment also resonated with Democrat Mark Guethle of North Aurora. “I liked it when (Walz) asked JD Vance if Trump won the election and JD Vance could not answer the question,” he said.
Schaumburg Township Republican Committeeman Joe Folisi said “JD did a great job,” citing a CNN flash poll Tuesday where 51% of viewers said Vance did a better job compared to 49% for Walz.
And, “I thought the point JD made about the 1st Amendment was really important,” Folisi noted. Vance said: “the most sacred right under the United States democracy is the First Amendment.” Vance added Harris wanted to “use the power of government and Big Tech to silence people from speaking their minds.”
But “Gov. Walz won on substance and on issues and JD Vance lied about the issues and didn’t answer any questions,” said Guethle, Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association president.
As an example, Guethle noted Vance claimed Trump supported Obamacare when the former president backed Republican congressional attempts to weaken the law during his tenure in office.
Yet, “of the debates overall this season, this one for sure actually covered some issues,” Folisi said. “And I thought that was good.”