tonight at 900 p.m. eastern time the vice presidential debate will take place and will be simal cast on CNN moderated by cbs's Nora odonnell and Margaret Brennan this debate is set to be a pivotal moment in the election cycle stay tuned as we delve into the five things to watch for in this highly anticipated event the coach versus the ex pundit the middle amican Roots at the heart of both waltz's and Vance's well cultivated political identities will be on display Tuesday night as the two men vying to be a Heartbeat Away from the presidency introduce
their biographies to the largest audience of Voters they've likely had to date Waltz a two-term governor and former Congressman was first elected to the US House in 2006 but expect him to lean into the roles he held before entering politics High School teacher and assistant football coach Vance meanwhile is a Marine green veteran and the author of a best-selling Memoir about his Appalachian family values and the socioeconomic problems of his hometown he's likely to highlight how he came around on the former president in recent years without making much mention of his past as a political
commentator who was a strident Trump critic both candidates biographical pitches are born of an effort to Showcase their authenticity a precious political commodity particularly in a race in which undecided voters in Michigan Pennsylvania and Wisconsin could determine the outcome voters decisions are overwhelmingly influenced by the tops of the party tickets and Waltz and Vance are likely to devote much of their time attacking Trump and Harris respectively but they could also spend time emphasizing parts of their own biographies and attempting to undercut their Rivals all in an effort to establish their credibility with voters abortion family
issues the two tickets are split on abortion rights an issue Democrats see as critical to motivating women and young people and winning overswing voters Waltz has discussed the issue within the broader framework of Harris's support for Freedom a contrast with Trump who appointed three of the Supreme Court Justices who voted with the majority in 2022 to overturn roie Wade's Federal protections for abortion rights he has also revealed more vulnerable aspects of his own story including the fertility struggles he and his wife Gwen faced and Democrat have highlighted Vance's 2021 quip about childless cat ladies in
an effort to portray him as judgmental of women's reproductive choices Vance and Trump meanwhile have at times struggled to get on the same page on the issue of abortion but Vance has supported policies he says would incentivize child birth he has also sought to portray Waltz as extreme on the issue of abortion he said last week at a campaign event in Charlotte North Carolina that Waltz as Minnesota govern Governor backed a measure that would allow abortion right up to the moment of birth even to the point at which doctors wouldn't be required to provide lifesaving
care to a baby who survived a botched abortion that is just sick he said Walt signed the measure into law in early 20123 Advocates at the time said it was intended to keep decisions about reproductive care in the hands of women and their doctors rather than politicians and judges which Walts do we see Waltz emerged from relative National obscurity to become Harris's running mate in August after one of the quickest selection processes in a generation in no small part because of his sweet and spicy commentary on cable news his matter of fact insistence that Trump
Vance and their allies were weird captivated Democrats desperate for an accessible hit on Maga Republicans and vaulted him to within a step of the vice presidency since then though Waltz has been rather Tale the cable news appearances trailed off he did not say much during his joint CNN interview with Harris and his speeches haven't made many headlines he spent some time on the defensive over his military record but has largely faded into the background on Tuesday night that will change what's less clear as to what effect Waltz could play the part Biden once did in
a debate against another Rising young conservative when the then vice president styed Mitt Romney's running mate Paul Ryan in a crucial 2012 debate or is there another reason Waltz has been kept somewhat under wraps over the past six or so weeks the answer should be clear in the first few minutes of the debate waltz's military record could come under attack if past performance is any indication Vance will Hammer Walts over his military record Republicans Vance in particular have accused the governor of overstating his resume and retiring prior to his unit's deployment to Iraq claiming Waltz
proactively tried to avoid serving in combat a review of the records found that Waltz filed to run for Congress in February 2005 before his unit was notified it could deploy to Iraq he retired in May 2005 according to the Minnesota National Guard Waltz has also acknowledged misspeaking about his experience carrying a weapon of War still he never explicitly claimed per a k file review of his earliest campaign to have faced combat the story is nuanced enough that Vance is unlikely to back off in August he said Waltz was Harris's Stolen Valor sidekick and called the
governor's past comments disgraceful Walt seems unlikely to want to litigate it on stage but Vance could make him try about Springfield Ohio for weeks now Vance and Trump have been doubling and tripling down on false claims that Haitians in the Ohio city are abducting and eating their neighbors pets Republican Governor Mike dwine and many others have called the claims outlandish and no one has provided any evidence to the contrary still Trump and Vance want immigration front and center and even though the migrants are in the country legally the Republican ticket has sought to use the
debunked rumor to Jin up anger over the Biden administration's handling of the Border when Trump brought up Springfield during the presidential debate last month the moderators fact checked him in real time pressed on the claims by CNN's Dana Bash in September Vance said if I have to create stories so that the American Media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people then that's what I'm going to do it would not be surprising to hear Waltz bring up that comment in particular in attacking the Republicans rhetoric
