In the sole vice-presidential debate of the 2024 election, Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz faced off in New York City, discussing key issues such as abortion, immigration, and housing.
Hosted by CBS News, the debate covered a range of topics but notably left out Ukraine, a major geopolitical concern, especially in light of ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Russia. Both candidates shared differing views on many issues but found rare common ground on the topic of housing.
One significant point of agreement between the two was on housing deregulation. Both candidates recognized that cutting through regulatory red tape could help build more homes and alleviate rising housing costs. Walz supported proposals to expedite home construction, seeing long-term savings in such efforts. Vance agreed, highlighting the need to move away from treating housing as a commodity, although he diverged in blaming illegal immigration as a major factor driving up housing prices, a point with which Walz disagreed.
The debate remained largely civil, and at the conclusion, both candidates shook hands, introduced their wives, and thanked the moderators, offering a stark contrast to the more contentious presidential debate earlier in the campaign season. Walz, after the debate, took a moment to grab pizza with his wife, while Vance headed to the post-debate media circuit for interviews.
Despite the debate's overall focus on domestic issues, the omission of a discussion on Ukraine stood out. Given the evolving global situation and recent meetings between key political figures, some considered this a missed opportunity to clarify the candidates' positions on U.S. involvement in the conflict.
In post-debate reactions, a majority of voters in a Pittsburgh focus group leaned towards Walz as the winner, emphasizing his focus on issues that resonated with working families. However, both candidates offered insights that will likely shape their campaigns going forward.
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