Vance, Walz court undecided independents in strangely polite debate

WASHINGTON - One day after Republican Sen. J.D. Vance and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz faced off in their first and only debate of the 2024 election cycle, political observers say the most important takeaway was the collegial tone. 

That could be crucial to swaying undecided independents on the campaign trail, according to Ryan Clancy, the chief strategist for No Labels. 

Clancy joined FOX 5's Jim Lokay on ‘The Final 5’ to discuss the stark contrast between the debate and others seen in recent years, particularly focusing on the substance and civility displayed by the candidates.

"It really was a complete 180 from the first Harris-Trump presidential debate," he said, drawing a comparison to the animosity often observed in past debates. Clancy also shared an interesting statistic. 

"One of them said, ‘I agree with you’ 11 different times. That is the first time those words have been uttered in a debate since 2016," he said. 

The contrast in this debate wasn’t just in tone but also in substance. Both Lokay and Clancy agreed that the candidates presented well-researched arguments. 

"There was a ton of substance in this debate. They clearly did their homework, citing specific pieces of legislation and very particular proposals," Clancy said. 

According to him, viewers tuning in could clearly see distinct visions for the future of the country.

Lokay touched on the effort made by the candidates to appeal to undecided voters, asking if the debate showcased an attempt to draw in voters outside their typical bases. 

Clancy agreed, saying, "Absolutely. I mean, I think it was absolutely strategic. Both of them were out-competing one another to seem reasonable and decent and likable." 

He also referenced recent polling, noting that 18% of voters are still undecided and that this debate was likely the candidates' last chance to win over those in the middle.

However, both Clancy and Lokay expressed concern over the lack of a third presidential debate this election cycle. 

"We definitely lose," Clancy remarked. "Every year since the mid-seventies there’s been at least three presidential debates scheduled." 

He lamented that voters might not have all the information they need going into the voting booth, given the significance of this election and the relatively low number of opportunities to hear from the presidential candidates directly.

As the interview wrapped up, Clancy discussed the impact of key moments during the debate, including Walz's "I'm friends with school shooters" flub, which was left uncorrected by the candidate and not fact-checked by moderators Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan. 

While Clancy downplayed the severity of the slip, he did point out the potential for voters to question a candidate’s credibility on more complex issues, including Walz's convoluted correction of the timeline of a 1989 trip to Tiananmen Square, which he admitted he "misspoke" about after newspaper reports disputed that. 

"Typically, these vice presidential debates don’t matter," Clancy said. "But of course, the difference this year is typically they’re not the last major forum that voters have to hear from the campaigns."

With the election drawing closer, the No Labels strategist’s takeaway from the debate was clear: "This year, maybe it does matter."