Tuesday, October 4 will be the first time many voters will hear from Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence and his Democratic counterpart Tim Kaine. While both are seasoned politicians given Pence is the governor of Indiana and Kaine is a senator from Virginia, the two men have undoubtedly been overshadowed by their running mates in the 2016 election season. This election, probably more so than ever before, highlights the challenge of vice presidential debates—defending someone else’s record.
Tuesday’s Importance
USA Today predicts that Tuesday’s debate will not challenge any debate viewership records or come close to Clinton and Trump’s historic record-breaking debate; however, “viewers who do tune in could be rewarded with a clearer sense of the differences between the two parties than could be gleaned from the Clinton-Trump debate.” This is an important consideration given the current political landscape of the U.S. and the fact that with only 36 days until the election many voters are still undecided.
Defending the Indefensible
Going on the defense will be inescapable for Pence and Kaine. Both stand beside arguably two of the most polarizing and controversial presidential candidates in the history of the United States. According to USA Today, Gov. Pence will likely be tasked with defending Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns, questionable business practices, and criticism concerning his interactions with a former Miss Universe regarding her weight. On the other hand, Sen. Kaine will likely have to find ways to explain Clinton’s “deplorables,” email scandal, and accusations of wrongdoings by the Clinton Foundation. While many of these issues have been covered a hundred times over by the media, discussed at rallies, press conferences, and even the previous debate, they still stand as important topics of conversation in the 2016 election. Therefore, the winning vice presidential debater must effectively defend and likely appeal to emotion when making the case for why undecided voters should trust his running mate.
If Governor Pence succeeds in defending Trump’s shortcomings on Tuesday, this could be extremely helpful for Trump throughout the remainder of the election process. Many people believe if Trump has reliable people working with him, they have less to fear about his instability.