Will Saletan: “In Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, JD Vance and Tim Walz covered lots of issues: inflation, housing, guns, abortion, immigration, health care, and much more.”

“But there was only one question on which the vice presidency—the job for which these two men are competing—really matters. That question was whether they would certify the results of the next presidential election. And on that subject, Vance gave a non-answer that instantly disqualifies him: He refused to acknowledge that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.”

Playbook: “While millions of Americans watched last night’s debate, many millions more didn’t — and their impressions of the two would-be veeps are going to be shaped by short clips of the action that are going to be shared widely online and on TV coverage over the coming days.”

“It’s hard to see any one moment going more viral then when Walz pressed Vance on the 2020 election with a simple question: Who won? ‘Tim, I’m focused on the future,’ he said in reply — prompting Walz to call it a ‘damning nonanswer.'”

A new Navigator Research survey finds 50% of Americans now rate Project 2025 unfavorably and a majority oppose the plan.

Among Americans who have heard about Project 2025, they most associate the plan with abortion bans, immigration restrictions, and eliminating the Department of Education.

Key takeaway: “Pluralities continue to believe that Project 2025 accurately describes what Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress stand for.”

A new Cook Political Report Swing State Project Survey shows Kamala Harris leading or tied with Donald Trump in all but one of the seven battleground states. Overall, she holds a narrow lead of 49% to 48% in a two-way matchup.

Harris has a lead within the margin of error in Arizona (+2), Michigan (+3), Nevada (+1), Pennsylvania (+1), and Wisconsin (+2). Trump is ahead 49% to 47% in Georgia, and the two candidates are tied at 49% in North Carolina.

Key takeaway: “Underneath the topline numbers, though, there have been some significant shifts, most notably Trump’s slipping advantage on his two strongest issues — inflation and immigration.”

Playbook: “Not if you believe the polls. Beyond Poltico’s own survey, snap polls from CBS and CNN made similar findings: The debate just didn’t move the ball much.”

“Consider it this way: With the exception of Biden’s decision to hand the nomination over to Harris, this presidential race has been exceptionally resistant to big swings. If two conventions, two assassination attempts and a consensus presidential-debate rout aren’t going to impact the fundamentals of the race, don’t count on this to, either.”

Asked who won Tuesday’s debate, voters were split 50-50 over whether it was J.D. Vance or Tim Walz, according to a Politico/Focaldata snap poll of likely voters conducted just after the two faced off in a studio in New York City.

“Democrats overwhelmingly sided with Walz, while Republicans picked Vance as the winner. Walz had a commanding advantage with independents, 58 percent of whom sided with the Minnesota governor while 42 percent gave Vance the edge.”

“That is a damning non-answer.”

— Gov. Tim Walz (D), quoted by Axios, when Sen. J.D. Vance (R) refused to say whether Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

Axios: “Trump seemed intent on counter-programming his own running mate’s big night, reminding America who tops the ticket with live, all-caps screeds on Truth Social throughout the debate.”

New York Times: “Mr. Vance spent much of the night offering explanations for Mr. Trump’s policies that sounded accessible. But in one of the debate’s final exchanges, Mr. Vance found himself without an explanation for Mr. Trump’s behavior after the 2020 election. Mr. Vance tried, making the eyebrow-raising argument that Mr. Trump ‘peacefully gave over power on January the 20th.’”

“‘Did he lose the 2020 election?’ Mr. Walz questioned Mr. Vance.

“Mr. Vance dodged and pivoted. He argued that the Democrats were the real threat to democracy and claimed that Ms. Harris censored Americans, citing old Facebook policies. He had no answer to the question itself. The exchange showed both the limits and requirements of serving as Mr. Trump’s running mate. ‘That’s why Mike Pence isn’t on this stage,’ Mr. Walz said.”

“By the end of the evening, the Harris campaign said it was making an ad off the Jan. 6 moment.”

Washington Post: Vance refuses to say Trump lost in 2020, sparking debate’s biggest clash.

Molly Ball: “Without Donald Trump there as an easy target, Democrats’ argument is much harder to make.”

“That was the most obvious conclusion from Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate between Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz. With deftness, discipline and finesse, Vance, the Ohio senator, prosecuted the case against the current administration while calling back to a not-always-recognizable vision of Trump’s term in office—and his exit from it—as a time of comparative peace and prosperity. Walz, the Minnesota governor, seemed nervous and struggled to make clear arguments in defense of his ticketmate, Vice President Kamala Harris.”

Washington Post: Vance peddles Trump agenda in softer tones, misleading ways during debate.

New York Times: Vance strains to sell a softer Trump.

“Donald Trump Jr. lashed out at anyone who would compare his father to Adolf Hitler as he appeared on a CNN special after Tuesday’s vice presidential debate,” the Daily Beast reports.

“He forgot one thing: that the man he was supposed to be stumping for, Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance, did exactly that himself.”

Aaron Blake: “Running mates are often tasked with being attack-dogs for their tickets. And both Vance and Walz got their licks in as the debate wore on — including a testy exchange on democracy and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the end.”

“But it was also a remarkably substance-focused and largely civil debate.”

“One of Walz’s most interesting strategies was in not so much attacking Vance, but in casting him as someone who might actually be reasonable — in contrast to Trump.”

Axios notes the debate “offered a rare lesson in civility — a reminder of what politics used to be, and what it hopefully still can be.”

CNN: “The unusually normal debate ended with another refreshingly normal moment – the kind that hasn’t been seen over the past decade of presidential debates. The candidates shook hands and chatted away from the microphones, and lingered as their wives joined them.”

“Let’s start by saying that vice presidential debates generally don’t swing elections. But the 90-minute tilt between Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was a throwback to debates of yesteryear, where two pols with Capitol Hill experience gently traded statistic-laced barbs,” Punchbowl News reports.

“Vance and Walz didn’t talk over each other — for the most part. They didn’t talk about immigrants eating pets. They did some ‘Midwest nice,’ especially Walz. They talked about their humble middle-class roots. The pair repeatedly said that they agreed with each other on basic policy points.”

“Overall, Vance probably came out of this ahead — to the extent it matters. Vance, the Yale Law graduate who has only been in public office for two years, had more to gain, and he got there. They both had strong moments, and they both stumbled.”

Playbook: “The two men went out of their way to soften their blows as they sparred.”

“Tim Walz and JD Vance spent much of Tuesday night defending their running mates’ records. They were less successful promoting their bosses’ plans for the future,” Politico reports.

“The two vice presidential candidates spent the 90-minute debate relitigating the last eight years just as much as they focused on their visions for the next four, sparring over the intricacies of Donald Trump’s first term, President Joe Biden’s policies — and their own political baggage, including Walz’ false claim he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests and Vance’s past harsh criticisms of Trump.”

“The result was a wide-ranging, policy-heavy back and forth that often pushed Walz and Vance to play defense for the presidential nominees, affording them little opportunity to make a fresh and forceful case to undecided voters just weeks before they head to the polls.”

George Condon: “The American people got a throwback debate Tuesday night from two vice presidential candidates who reached back a few decades for a civil and generally cordial airing of differences.”

“Most notable about the exchange was the emergence of a Republican nominee who for most of the night bore little resemblance to the Sen. J.D. Vance who has been on display in the months since the Republican convention.”

A CBS News instant poll of vice presidential debate viewers found 42% believed J.D. Vance won, 41% thought Tim Walz won and 17% said it was a tie.

A CNN instant poll found 51% thought Vance won while 49% believe Walz won.

Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. J.D. Vance will meet in New York City for a vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News.

The debate begins at 9 p.m. ET and will run for 90 minutes. There will be no live audience.

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