The person refuses to say whether Trump lost in 2020 at the debate
Tim Vance, aka Tim Walsh, has an audience of one: Trump, says former debate opponent, in the House of Delegates
He said he wants both candidates to talk about immigration, trade, tariffs, and the Farm Bill rather than personal attacks, because he is a farmer.
“I think it’s time to get over the core GOP principles of diplomacy, statemanship, personal responsibility, and compassion, because they’ve been eliminated from the once- serious party,” he said.
The debate between Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Freshman U.S. Senator from Ohio, slaimed to be hosted by Ohio Gov. After former President Donald Trump picked him as his running mate on the Republican ticket, he has had some stumbles.
That’s Tim Ryan, the former Youngstown-area congressman whom Vance defeated after winning a seven-way Republican primary in 2022, on the strength of Trump’s endorsement.
“I think you’ll see somebody being very aggressive at trying to frame the Harris-Walz ticket as super extreme, super out of touch. They’ll be blamed for everything and the world’s going to end if they get elected,” Ryan said about Vance on the debate stage. Donald Trump has an audience of one and he’ll be hitting that hard.
Ryan thinks that there are false and racist rumors about the legal Haitian immigrants in Springfield that he has perpetuated, as well as his negative comments about childless women.
The debate will be a chance for both Vance and his Democratic opponent, Walz, to present their policy positions to the broader American public, as most people are less familiar with them than with their partners on the presidential ticket.
The 2020 Vice Presidential Debate Revisited: How Will We Address the Problems of the Voting Process? A Conversation with Ryan Walz
Ryan doesn’t know if he is who he thought he was at this point. If you hit him in the right spot, he’s going to fly off the handle because he is thin-skinned.
Ryan told Walz that he should fact-check Vance in real time during the debate. The CBS News where the debate is taking place said it would be up to the candidates to speak up, rather than relying on its moderators.
Republicans in Ohio celebrated Vance’s selection as Trump’s running mate. Mark Weaver, Republican strategist, said that Vance has asked moderates who are still making a decision.
“Republicans are energized, and many independents are impressed by his policy expertise and his eagerness to deftly answer all press questions while campaigning,” said Weaver, a consultant who’s has worked with a range of Republicans, from local officials in Ohio to former President Ronald Reagan.
Over the past few years, Weaver said, “Vance has sharpened his communications skills through interviews and rallies.” Weaver said that Vance would be the VP and President of the Senate if he wins the election in November, and that he would have a higher profile than his peers.
The story was published in the NPR Network’s live journal of the 2024 vice presidential debate. For the latest on the campaign, head to NPR’s Elections page.
Moderators asked Vance if he would, as vice president, “seek to challenge this year’s election results, even if every governor certifies the results.” They also asked about his past remarks on the 2020 election, particularly what he has said about asking states to “submit alternative electors” before certifying the election.
“If I had been vice president, I would have told the states, like Pennsylvania, Georgia and so many others, that we needed to have multiple slates of electors, and I think the U.S. Congress should have fought over it from there,” Vance said. “That is the legitimate way to deal with an election that a lot of folks, including me, think had a lot of problems in 2020. I think that’s what we should have done.”
The discussion over electors was a key controversy during the Trump campaign’s broader scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Several criminal investigations were a result of that scheme.
To be clear, there is nothing in the Constitution that empowers a vice president to force states to have multiple slates of electors. Legal experts say that it’s up to the states. And in the case of the 2020 election, there was no reason for states to consider multiple slates of electors.
And lastly, a vice president’s role during certification is largely ceremonial. The Brennen Center for Justice says that federal law states that the role of the vicepresident in joint sessions is limited and she or he cannot determine the validity of electoral votes.
