The Vance-Walz Debate Is Hardly ‘High-Stakes’

Is the upcoming debate between Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz a “high-stakes” affair, as I have repeatedly seen it described? I am having difficulty imagining a scenario in which that is true. Were Vance to revert to his previous criticism of Donald Trump as categorically unfit for office and reprise his analysis of the MAGA core as “vile racists,” that might be a compelling story. If avowed “car guy” Walz breaks down and confesses that he actually doesn’t know what the heck a carburetor does, it would be quality meme content. But “high stakes” seems like a stretch.

There aren’t a lot of undecided voters left in the 2024 presidential race, if there were ever many to start with. And contrary to portrayals of undecided voters as great seekers of policy details, most who are undecided — especially about a contest in which Trump is a candidate — probably aren’t very focused on politics and won’t be watching a debate between vice presidential candidates. Indeed, many who are undecided at this late date are undecided about whether to vote at all. Some may be unaware a debate is happening.