Tim Ryan is a former U.S. representative who served Ohio’s 13th congressional district from 2013 to 2023, previously representing Ohio’s 17th district from 2003 to 2013, and was the Democratic nominee in the 2022 U.S. Senate election. He debated JD Vance twice during the 2022 race for Ohio’s open Senate seat.
In October 2022, JD Vance and I took the stage twice during the race for Ohio’s open U.S. Senate seat. So, I’ve had twice as many opportunities to see the Senator’s playbook up close.
Both events were exhausted with contentiousness, but by the second evening, it had become fairly routine to hear rehearsed talking points woven into personal attacks and the sidestepping of direct answers on key issues disguised as substantive reasoning.
It’s no different from the Republican vice-presidential nominee that the public has come to know over the past few months.
As Minnesota Governor Tim Walz prepares to face Vance in next Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate, he should expect a familiar strategy of fear, lies, and sound bites.
I have no doubt that Vance will approach this debate by stoking fear, painting a picture of the GOP’s hellscape under Democrat control: immigrants flooding in, incessant inflation, and a foreign policy that’s surely leading to World War III.
It’s a similar pattern of playing on anxieties that Vance used against me. And, like in our 2022 debates, he will lie in real time.
But while Donald Trump’s recent debate with Kamala Harris featured no shortage of debunked claims—from his infamous comment about Haitian migrants eating pets to doctors executing newborns—Vance takes a slightly more measured approach to dishonesty.
He maintains a tone that sometimes makes it sound as though there are intellectual underpinnings to these MAGA talking points. It’s skillful and likely a central reason Trump chose him, but when you listen closely, you’ll hear how it’s just a tactic to muddy the waters until the next question.
ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis took a far more hands-on approach during Trump’s debate with Harris than CNN did when he was on stage with President Biden in June. CBS News anchors Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan will also likely be ready to fact-check in real time.
Vance knows this, but he’ll stick to the playbook because he knows millions will be watching that night, and millions more after the fact. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to turn these lies into viral soundbites that are far easier to take at face value when circulated out of context.
It is also far more important for the American people to see Walz fact-check his opponent in real time. If he can effectively counter these false claims while maintaining a pleasant attitude, we’ll likely see flashes of anger and arrogance from Vance.
Walz should, and likely will, focus on maintaining his likability as Vance leans more into spite.
Avoiding ego traps, it’s critical for Walz to remain mission-focused. Voters are tired of politicians talking about each other. We don’t want our candidates to waste time trading punches, questioning each other’s racial identities, jabbing at their personal lives, or comparing golf scores. Winning this debate comes from energizing voters and offering more than just a concept of a plan for the future.
Talk about me all you want; you won’t shift my focus away from the needs of the American people.
That’s where Tim Walz’s head should stay during this veepstakes.
