Jessica Perez-Salinas, Staff Writer 

On Oct. 1, the United States witnessed one of the most astounding achievements in this election. For the first time in this presidential election, two nominees engaged in a civil and mostly calm debate: free from mudslinging and name-calling. Unlike an earlier debate, they did not compare  golf swings. During this debate, the vice-presidential nominees for the Democratic party and the Republican party, JD Vance and Tim Walz, engaged in the first and only vice-presidential debate.  

Hosted by CBS NEWS, the debate lasted around an hour and a half and covered some of the nation’s most pressing issues including healthcare, immigration, the southern border, gun control and more. Viewers were informed of the rules prior to the debate, including the decision not to fact-check candidates’ statements and muting the candidates’ microphones if needed. 

Domestic Policy 

Some of the most pressing issues affecting Americans at home are rising medical costs, gun control and housing. 

On rising healthcare costs and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Vance was asked about Trump’s plan to replace the ACA and how they would protect people with pre-existing conditions. Vance did not specifically answer what Trump’s new plan would be but stated that Trump helped drive down drug prices during his presidency. He argued that current protections and regulations for people with pre-existing conditions would remain, but the healthcare marketplace would be more accessible. Walz rebutted his argument, stating that Trump had attempted to remove and undermine the ACA during his term and that enrollment in the ACA has increased under the Biden administration. 

On housing, Walz was asked about Harris’ promise to provide up to $25,000 in down payment assistance and build 3 million new homes. Walz argued that the government should provide aid that will help generate wealth through affordable housing and that it would be possible without increasing housing costs. Vance argued that driving down energy prices will help drive down the costs across various sectors including housing costs. He also attributed undocumented immigrants as one of the factors for increasing housing costs. Both nominees vaguely described their proposed tax plans and efforts to help overall increasing economic costs for citizens. The moderators stated that their proposed tax plans could lead to significant blows to the federal budget. 

On gun control, Vance was asked about holding parents responsible for school shootings. Vance stated that most of the gun violence in the United States is committed by illegally purchased firearms, attributing it to Biden and Harris’ open border policy. A report from the Wilson Center found that current trends suggest around 70%-90% of firearms originate in the United States and are moving south. 

On school safety, Vance suggests increasing security in schools and addressing the mental health crisis in the United States. Walz described his experience in meeting the families who have been impacted by school shootings and argued that gun reform is necessary to protect families. During this debate, Vance and Walz engaged in many respectful moments. After Walz brought up his son’s witnessing of a shooting, Vance commented, “I’m sorry about that. Christ have mercy. It is awful.” One of the aspects that has been missing from recent debates is humanization and compassion. Although they fundamentally disagree on various issues, they can acknowledge the impact these issues have on each other. 

Foreign Policy and Climate Change 

On immigration, Vance was asked about Trump’s plan to enact mass deportations and how that would affect undocumented immigrants with children born in the United States. Vance blamed the immigration crisis on Harris’ open border policy, which he claimed has driven the flow of fentanyl in the United States. According to a report by the Cato Institute, 80.2% of fentanyl smuggled into the United States is brought by U.S citizens for U.S citizens, and around 88% of all fentanyl is confiscated at the border. Vance doubled down on Trump’s plan to build the wall and called out the Biden administration’s failure to keep track of migrant children lost at the border. Walz was also asked about the issue of mass deportation but argues that vilifying and dehumanizing immigrants does not solve the issue.  

One of the key moments of this debate was the fact-checking of Vance, which the moderators had established would not happen during this debate. The moderators corrected a false statement in which Vance had reiterated that undocumented migrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating cats and dogs. This statement has been proven false by the Republican governor of Ohio. 

 The moderator stated that “Springfield, Ohio does have a large number of Haitian migrants who have legal status, temporary protected status.” Vance and Walz had their microphones cut off, especially as Vance began to argue with the moderators over immigration policies. 

Walz was asked about his previous statements on being in China on the day of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Walz has stated multiple times that he was there, but multiple reports and media show that he was not in China during that month and did not arrive in Hong Kong until August of that year. CNN posted a clip from a 2019 interview in which he stated this precise claim. After much discussion, Walz agreed that he misspoke. 

Over the past week, the United States was hit by Hurricane Helene which has had a devastating and deadly impact on the areas hit across Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. The severity of hurricanes and other natural disasters will only increase with the continued impact of climate change. Vance was asked about Trump’s plan to reduce climate change to which he argued that the United States has to produce energy at home and invest in domestic industries. Walz suggested mitigation and reducing the impact of climate change. He also called out Trump’s previous claim that “climate change is a hoax”. It is important to note that Vance suggested further investment in natural gas production which has been proven to be a driving factor in climate change. 

The Viewers 
CBS and Politico conducted polls after the debate to determine the winner. Both suggest a tie between both nominees, with CBS News only finding a 1% difference between Vance and Walz, with Vance leading. Among independent voters, Politico found that 58% of those polled favored Walz in the debate versus the 42% that favored Vance. The CBS news poll did find that most people did have a more favorable opinion of Vance after the debate. However, presidential debates and even more so, vice presidential debates have little influence on voter outcomes. Viewers tended to agree with their political alignment with most Democrats siding with Walz and most Republicans siding with Vance. Most viewers found the debate positive and agreed that it focused more on policy rather than personal attacks. Overall, the debate proved to be an important example of how people can engage in civil debates.