Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Kamala Harris’s running mate in the 2024 election, said this week that he now believes he mishandled his vice-presidential debate with Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) — and resorted to profane bravado while attempting to explain why.
Appearing Tuesday on The Bulwark podcast with host Tim Miller, Walz was asked whether he gave Vance “too much benefit of the doubt” during their widely watched debate and whether assuming good faith was a mistake.
“Look, I’ll own it,” Walz said. “But you’ve been around this long enough. When you’re on a ticket, you take your orders. Look, I have agency on that, meaning I could have done this, but I am a good team player. And I will say this: I never kidded anybody about debates.”
Walz went on to express frustration that he failed to more aggressively challenge Vance, who emerged from the debate with bipartisan praise for his composure, clarity, and command of the issues.
Though Walz claimed he does not “get joy out of beating someone,” he added, “Yes, I would beat the s— out of him now if I could, and I would call that out. I mean, that’s just different. In verbally going at it, my argument is much better.”
Walz specifically objected to Vance’s arguments on housing and immigration — positions that align closely with mainstream Republican policy priorities and resonate strongly with working-class voters.
“Making the case that housing prices are up because of immigration and that we should build on federal lands — it was such a crazy thing,” Walz said. “But then when I watched him, I got sucked into that.”
Walz admitted he veered off message during the debate, particularly when reacting to controversial media narratives circulating at the time.
“If you remember, this was right in that moment of eating dogs and cats,” Walz said. “I took that bait and thought that that was the argument of how outrageous it was. That was not the argument.”
A Debate That Elevated Vance
The October 2024 vice-presidential debate was widely viewed as a breakout moment for Vance, who surprised many observers with a calm, confident, and policy-focused performance. While Democrats had expected an aggressive partisan clash, Vance struck a cordial tone while forcefully defending conservative positions on immigration enforcement, housing affordability, energy independence, and federal overreach.
Polling afterward showed Vance’s favorability rising, particularly among independents and blue-collar voters — a key reason many Republicans now see him as the natural heir to the post-Trump GOP coalition.
Since the election, Vance has continued to build his national profile, maintaining close ties to President Donald Trump while also positioning himself as a next-generation conservative leader capable of winning Rust Belt states and expanding the Republican map. Many party insiders already consider him the likely Republican presidential nominee in 2028, if not sooner.
Harris Privately Criticized Walz Performance
Former Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed Walz’s shaky debate showing in her post-campaign memoir, 107 Days, revealing that she was deeply disappointed by his performance.
“When Tim fell for it and started nodding and smiling at J.D.’s fake bipartisanship, I moaned to Doug, ‘What is happening?’” Harris wrote, referring to her husband, Doug Emhoff.
Harris acknowledged that the debate ultimately had little impact on polling but suggested Walz should have been better prepared.
“I reassured him that the election would not be won or lost on account of that debate, and in fact it had a negligible effect on our polling,” she wrote. “In choosing Tim, I thought that as a second-term governor and twelve-year congressman he would know what he was getting into. In hindsight, how could anyone?”
A Telling Contrast
For many Republicans, Walz’s comments highlight a broader contrast between the two men: Vance’s disciplined, message-driven approach versus Democrats’ increasing reliance on emotional rhetoric and post-hoc excuses.
While Walz now says he wishes he had been more combative, Republican voters saw something different in 2024 — a Republican candidate who didn’t need theatrics to win the argument, and who looked every bit like a future president.
