Walz and Vance prepare to introduce themselves on the national stage at Tuesday night debate

[MUSIC PLAYING] CATHY WURZER: Vice presidential candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance are in New York preparing for their first and probably last debate tonight. The debate will be held at the CBS Broadcast Center in Midtown Manhattan in a controlled studio setting, no live audience, no fact checking from the CBS moderators. The two relatively little known politicians will introduce themselves to the country and try to avoid any slip ups on the big stage. Dana Ferguson is in New York. She joins us right now. How's the trip so far?

DANA FERGUSON: So far, so good, Cathy. Can you hear some of the folks honking out there?

CATHY WURZER: A little bit. A little bit. So tell me what's happening outside the studios. Anything at this point?

DANA FERGUSON: Yeah. Near the CBS Broadcast Center-- that's where the debate is going to be held-- there are some barricades going up and television reporters starting to position themselves for their preview live spots ahead of the debate tonight. Walz and Vance are in New York. In fact, we saw Vance's motorcade heading to the area where he was rehearsing last night, purely by coincidence. And as we've mentioned, they'll face off tonight at 8:00 PM Central time.

CATHY WURZER: So let's talk about the stakes here. What are Tim Walz and JD Vance hoping to convey to audiences tonight?

DANA FERGUSON: Yeah. Both Walz and Vance are hoping to be the messengers for their running mates and communicate to the country why their side of the ticket could produce a better outcome for voters. So for Walz, he'll be promoting what Harris has labeled as an opportunity economy, which is how they describe their proposals to boost the middle class. He'll also try to show that Harris is the candidate focused on helping people live their lives well, not just a hold over from the Biden years.

Vance is out to echo Donald Trump's message that the nation is adrift and could benefit from another Trump term. He's likely to point out how much inflation has hurt Americans and also talk about the migrant crisis. But the VP candidates will also both have to account for their own track records and the policy stances they've held.

CATHY WURZER: And of course, the governor has a longer track record being in office for, what, some 20 years, first in Congress and then as governor. Say, I wonder. Could you dive in a little more to the arguments that both candidates hope to make? I mean, this is clearly a high stakes situation. And in a sense, they're delivering closing remarks for the campaigns. So how do they make their case effectively, do you think?

DANA FERGUSON: Sure. I spoke with Senator Amy Klobuchar this morning. She's a surrogate for the Harris-Walz campaign, and she'll also be in the spin room tonight, along with Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Democratic governors, and Democratic Party leaders. The spin room is where the campaigns assess the performance of the candidates and try to make the case that their candidate did well out there.

Senator Klobuchar hasn't been involved in the governor's debate prep, but she says she expects to hear Walz really contrast himself as a former teacher, a National Guard member, with Vance, who is an attorney. She says Walz should also focus on Vance's prior support for a federal abortion ban and highlight Democrats commitment to cementing access to reproductive health care.

AMY KLOBUCHAR: I think using that opportunity to show people who he is and effectively making the case to Americans that the Harris-Walz ticket is going to stand up for their freedoms, stand up for reproductive rights. And you got on the other side a vice presidential candidate that voted against protecting IVF and a presidential candidate that said he was probably the one responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade.

CATHY WURZER: So as I mentioned, Dana, the governor has a long track record in office, a longer one to scrutinize. How might JD Vance poke, then, at Walz's record?

DANA FERGUSON: Yeah. It's likely that Vance is going to push on some of those areas that he views as too liberal, looking at a lot of the legal protections that were passed in Minnesota around abortion and gender affirming care, new requirements for public schools to carry period products in the bathrooms. And he's also likely to bring up the governor's handling of the riots in Minneapolis back in 2020 following George Floyd's murder.

He could also point out the $250 million nutrition aid fraud committed by the nonprofit Feeding our Future. And just a reminder, that happened during the governor's watch back during the pandemic. Republicans held a debate preview call yesterday, and Minnesota Representative Tom Emmer, who has played Walz in Vance debate prep, lit into his home state governor and called him a liar and a poor leader.

TOM EMMER: And while Walz will likely lean on his folksy demeanor to try and pivot away from their radical record on the debate stage tomorrow night, JD won't let him get away with it. From the border to the economy to American leadership on the world stage, President Trump has delivered once before, and he's ready to do it again with JD by his side.

CATHY WURZER: Say, Dana, I'm wondering. Could you talk about the Vance and Walz favorability ratings that we saw in the recent Minnesota poll and where they could maybe gain some ground here in this debate?

DANA FERGUSON: Sure. So public opinion of Walz and Vance is lower than it is for Harris and Trump. That's to say that a lot of people don't know them yet or don't have a strong opinion. So VP candidates have a chance here to build up their approval with voters, or if things go poorly, to fall in approval ratings.

Before the debate, national polls have shown that Vance is underwater with voters in terms of favorability, while voters view Walz slightly more favorably than unfavorably. He also is coming into the contest with many voters still sort of up in the air about him.

CATHY WURZER: Let's talk about the potential performance here tonight. I know you've talked with candidates who have debated Tim Walz before and watched some tape of Vance's debates. What can we learn from how both of these guys have done in past performances?

DANA FERGUSON: Yeah. It was so interesting going back through both their past performances. And in talking to both Republicans and Democrats who've debated Walz during his runs for Congress and governor, they say he's affable and folksy on stage, and that demeanor can make him likable to an audience, but also disarming to opponents. They also say that the freewheeling style can sometimes cause problems for the governor since it causes him to misspeak every now and then.

Vance has debate experience from the run up to his Senate election in Ohio. He's known for piercing comebacks, and he has a knack for turning any question into an opening to go on offense. But he also wears his frustration on his sleeve, and that can sometimes come off as evasive when he's presented with questions he doesn't like.

CATHY WURZER: You mentioned that Congressman Tom Emmer has been playing Walz in the preparation for JD Vance. What are some of the other preparations that have been going on for both campaigns?

DANA FERGUSON: Yeah. So Emmer's been working with Vance and pretending to be Governor Walz. Going into this debate today, Emmer said he even studied some of the governor's gestures and mannerisms to be an effective stand in. On the opposite side, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has played the role of Vance in Walz's debate prep, and I guess we'll see how it all plays out.

CATHY WURZER: I know you're going to be busy. So Dana, good luck.

DANA FERGUSON: Thank you so much, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: That's MPR politics reporter Dana Ferguson, live from New York City. Now, if you want to listen, our special coverage will start back here in St Paul, 7:30 tonight, with politics editor Brian Bakst and host Tom Crann. The debate begins at 8:00 PM online and on air at mprnewsq.org.