What to Watch For in Tuesday’s Vance-Walz Debate

As the two running mates hold their first debate in New York, here is what to be on the lookout for.

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The vice-presidential debate between Senator JD Vance of Ohio and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota will air on CBS on Tuesday.

The vice-presidential debate between Senator JD Vance of Ohio and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota may not have the sizzle of last month’s confrontation between former President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, but as the last scheduled debate on the 2024 calendar it could still alter the race.

For both campaigns, the debate is largely a proxy fight for who can better define and defend the visions of the candidates at the top of the ticket — and point out inconsistencies.

Mr. Walz, 60, and Mr. Vance, 40, have already exchanged a war of words from afar, with the governor selected after his effective branding of Mr. Vance and the Republican ticket as “weird.” Both are veterans, and Mr. Vance questioned Mr. Walz’s military service record almost immediately after he was selected, an expected line of attack at the debate hosted by CBS News.

The two candidates will be standing and, unlike in the presidential showdown, no microphones will be muted, raising the possibility of lively exchanges of ideas and insults.

Here are five things to watch:

Which persona will dominate: Folksy or cutting?

To start, Mr. Vance and Mr. Walz are proven debaters and quick-witted communicators.

One of the things that helped elevate Mr. Walz onto the national ticket was his disarming way of speaking, both in his national cable television appearances and in his private interactions with Ms. Harris. Ever since, the Harris campaign has leaned into his Midwestern dad persona, with the vice president introducing him as “Coach Walz” and talking up his time as a football coach.

The debate will be Mr. Walz’s best opportunity to show that side of him beyond scripted moments on the Democratic convention stage and carefully edited campaign videos, like one of him taking viewers under the hood of his 1979 International Harvester Scout.

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