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Hello, friends. Helene has ravaged the Southeast in recent days. Here is how you can help.
3 things to know
- Tuesday night’s VP debate pits Sen. JD Vance against Gov. Tim Walz in what will likely be the final debate of the 2024 cycle. My colleague Hanna Seariac has some helpful primers on aspects of the candidates you may not have read elsewhere: the Catholic social ideology influencing Vance, and Walz’s record with religious groups in his home state, Minnesota.
- Both campaigns are keyed in on “low-propensity voters” — the individuals who either don’t vote or aren’t likely to do so. Most Americans have their minds made up with five weeks until Election Day, but with polls showing razor-thin margins, there is a window with these low-turnout voters. Read more here.
- Kamala Harris picked up another endorsement from a Republican: Jeff Flake, the former U.S. senator and House member from Arizona. Most recently, Flake was the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, where he says he learned the importance of the U.S.’ alliances — and he believes Harris would better preserve them. Read more here.
The big idea
Vance and Walz get the last word
In past elections, the vice presidential debate was often an afterthought — a formality sandwiched between the two main debates. Tuesday’s debate is different, for three main reasons:
First, the adage that “debates don’t matter” no longer holds water, after the June 27 debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump led to the president’s eventual exit from the race. No, Vance or Walz won’t drop out after Tuesday’s debate, no matter how miserable their performance. But they will benefit from a newfound interest in debates: 67 million people watched the Harris-Trump debate, per Nielsen — far eclipsing the 52 million who watched the June debate — plus countless more who engaged with clips via social media or other platforms. Lines from that debate — Trump’s comments on immigrants, Harris’ on Dick Cheney — have become major themes of the campaign. Tuesday’s follow-up will not have the same level of ratings, but it will matter.
Second, both campaigns are undergoing a messaging shift, and this is their last, best opportunity to test it out. Trump is now courting Black voters by talking about the economy. Harris is veering away from discussing immigration to win over Latino voters (unless she’s at the border). Both are attempting to pitch Latter-day Saints and other religious voters in swing states. With five weeks until Election Day, there is no better opportunity to speak to any of these groups — and use a split-screen with the opponent to show why they’re different.
And third, Vance and Walz are likely getting the last word. Harris and Trump have not agreed on a second debate, and Trump has expressly stated he will not debate again — meaning Tuesday’s showdown will be the last chance for both campaigns to woo voters in a debate setting.
“Generally, vice presidential debates don’t really move the needle,” said Aaron Kall, the University of Michigan’s director of debate. “But if this is the last opportunity to make a closing argument, it could be especially important.”
That could bode well for them, as it did for Harris in 2020, when she squared off with Mike Pence in a VP debate in Salt Lake City. When viewers were surveyed before and after watching that debate, they largely seemed to view Harris as more trustworthy, smart, likable and competent afterward, according to research by Ben Warner, director of the University of Missouri’s Political Communication Institute.
Tuesday night’s debate will differ from last month’s Harris-Trump outing on several fronts: the microphones won’t be muted, and the moderators won’t attempt to fact-check the candidates, instead encouraging viewers to visit their real-time updates online (by way of a QR code that will be displayed on your TV screen). In one significant way, though, it will be exactly the same: this will be the first, and only, time we’ll see these two candidates share a stage this cycle.
Walz and Vance should be up for the task. “They’re both very capable debaters,” Kall said. “Watching their past debates at the state level, they’re both effective communicators and counter-punchers.”
How to watch
- Time and date: Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 9 p.m. ET (7 p.m. MT)
- TV: CBS
- Live stream: CBSNews.com
- Live updates: Deseret.com/politics
Poll pulse
- How do voters in Vance’s and Walz’s native Midwest view the two candidates? According to the latest New York Times/Siena College polling of likely voters in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, 42% view Vance positively, while 48% see him unfavorably. Meanwhile, 44% see Walz favorably and 41% unfavorably.
What I’m reading
Mike DeWine, the Republican governor of Ohio, is tired of Trump and Vance spreading falsehoods about immigrants in his state. “To say that these people are illegal is just not right, you can’t make up stuff like that,” DeWine said, referring to the Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio, the new epicenter of the immigration debate. The conversation is personal to DeWine and his wife: they underwrite a Catholic school of Port-au-Prince, and they’ve visited the Caribbean country over 20 times, JMart reports. ‘Just Not Right’: A GOP Governor Confronts Trump’s Lies (Jonathan Martin, Politico)
Speaking of Republican governors, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox — a longtime Trump critic — endorsed the former president in July. But Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson didn’t, and this week she said that won’t change: “I have a real struggle with people who do know better and should know better at the top of Republican politics, who are sowing doubt and chaos and confusion for political gain — no matter who it is,” she said. Henderson, a Republican, co-chaired Nikki Haley’s campaign in Utah. Facing threats from GOP election doubters, would Utah’s L.G. endorse Trump? Here’s what she said (Emily Anderson Stern, The Salt Lake Tribune)
What happens when the anti-establishment candidate endorses the Republican nominee? Such is the dilemma for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s staunchest supporters, many of whom were attracted by Kennedy’s anti-vaccine theories or his environmental activism. In Trump, they see little ideological cohesion. Follow the leader, or sit this one out? ‘This Is Where You End Up When You Do Your Own Research’ (John Hendrickson, The Atlantic)
See you on the trail.
Editor’s note: The Deseret News is committed to covering issues of substance in the 2024 presidential race from its unique perspective and editorial values. Our team of political reporters will bring you in-depth coverage of the most relevant news and information to help you make an informed decision. Find our complete coverage of the election here.