--- title: Why the Vance-Walz Debate Is Primed To Be Messy description: Cat ladies. Haitians. Tampons. Black Lives Matter. The VP debate is poised to wade into the culture wars far more than Trump and Harris did. canonical: https://time.com/7026398/walz-vance-debate-what-to-expect/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-09-30T11:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-01-19T13:15:32.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why the Vance-Walz Debate Is Primed To Be Messy og:description: More so than the Harris-Trump debate, Tuesday's VP debate could be a distillation of the nation's culture wars, with attacks referencing "childless cat ladies,” tampons in boys’ bathrooms, and pet-hunting Haitians flying across the stage og:url: https://time.com/7026398/walz-vance-debate-what-to-expect/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltedda198e1c92b5cb/698a5b8ab3fce3c6370cdaa7/GettyImages-2171230029.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Donald Trump Makes Campaign Stop In North Carolina og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why the Vance-Walz Debate Is Primed To Be Messy twitter:description: More so than the Harris-Trump debate, Tuesday's VP debate could be a distillation of the nation's culture wars, with attacks referencing "childless cat ladies,” tampons in boys’ bathrooms, and pet-hunting Haitians flying across the stage twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltedda198e1c92b5cb/698a5b8ab3fce3c6370cdaa7/GettyImages-2171230029.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why the Vance-Walz Debate Is Primed to Be Messy > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=309ab5f4-db06-4cce-af12-85db4b847fb3&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=309ab5f4-db06-4cce-af12-85db4b847fb3&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=309ab5f4-db06-4cce-af12-85db4b847fb3&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=309ab5f4-db06-4cce-af12-85db4b847fb3&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: ‘Never Underestimate a Public School Teacher’: Key Moments from Tim Walz’s DNC Speech [Watch (HLS stream): ‘Never Underestimate a Public School Teacher’: Key Moments from Tim Walz’s DNC Speech](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Twy35LVp.m3u8) (5:58)  _Published 2024-08-22. Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz gave a rousing 14-minute psych-up speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday night. The former high school teacher and football coach turned Minnesota governor tapped into his experience revving up players on the field to encourage Democrats to help Vice President Kamala Harris beat former President Donald Trump in the November election._  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Updated: Jan 19, 2026 1:15 PM UTCPublished: Sep 30, 2024 11:00 AM UTC  Sen. J.D. Vance, Donald Trump's running mate, speaks with media on Sept. 14, 2024, in Greenville, North Carolina Sen. J.D. Vance, Donald Trump's running mate, speaks with media on Sept. 14, 2024, in Greenville, North Carolina Allison Joyce—Getty Images  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Updated: Jan 19, 2026 1:15 PM UTCPublished: Sep 30, 2024 11:00 AM UTC _This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up_ [_here_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/signup?nln=dc-brief&source=dc%5Fonsite) _to get stories like this sent to your inbox._ Tuesday night’s likely lone debate between the vice presidential nominees might seem like a Midwest-Off for the ages, with the junior Senator from Ohio offering his antagonistic [vision](https://time.com/7024414/jd-vance-2024-interview/) for a new conservatism against the _aw-shucks_ [earnestness](https://www.axios.com/2024/08/21/tim-walz-polls-relatability) of Minnesota’s Governor. But in reality, the evening stands to be a high-stakes distillation of the culture wars largely defining this national contest, with nasty digs referencing “[childless cat ladies](https://time.com/7003456/jd-vance-childless-cat-ladies-controversy/),” [tampons](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/16/us/politics/walz-free-tampons-schools-minnesota.html) in boys’ bathrooms, and pet-hunting [Haitians](https://time.com/7024456/trump-vance-haitians-charges/) flying across the stage from the start. With voting already underway in some states—including Minnesota—and no more made-for-television events on the books before Nov. 5’s Election Day, this undercard debate takes on an importance unseen in the modern era. Both Vance and Walz remain blank slates to much of America; as much as a quarter of the electorate recently told pollsters they have literally not heard of Trump’s and Harris’ running mates, according to [surveys](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/09/17/americans-view-walz-more-positively-than-vance-but-many-arent-familiar-with-either-vp-nominee/) from the Pew Research Center. Vance was slightly better known than Walz, although Vance carried higher unfavorable numbers among those with an opinion. Tuesday’s event—hosted by CBS News with the other networks planning to simulcast it—stands to be the rare game-changing VP debate. Polling heading into the 90-minute session shows a race that seems relatively stable. Vice President Kamala Harris, looking for an unexpected promotion after President Joe Biden [decided](https://time.com/7001153/joe-biden-drop-out-announcement/) to [skip](https://time.com/7001028/why-joe-biden-stepped-down/) his in-progress re-election, seems to have [stabilized](https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/interactive/2024/presidential-polling-averages/) the so-called Blue Wall of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Former President Donald Trump, looking for an almost unprecedented return to power, appears to have settled into the slightest of advantages in Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina, while Nevada—like all seven battleground states, if we’re being honest—remains anyone’s to snag. Which is why both VP picks have been scrutinized in ways that haven’t seemed needed since Sarah Palin’s [selection](https://time.com/archive/6936249/transcript-times-interview-with-sarah-palin/) in 2008\. Vance, [elected](https://time.com/6229076/ohio-limits-trump-dewine-vance/) to the Senate in [2022](https://time.com/6222878/ohio-senate-debate-2022-hostile/), has a relatively short dossier in public life; no one expects a first-term lawmaker in the minority party to have much of an impact. Walz, a former House member who moved home to run his state, has a bit more of a track record, but one not well known beyond the Upper Midwest. Sure, Vance can point to his erstwhile populism and his [advocacy](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/07/17/vance-republican-convention-populism-palestine-train-derailment/) for East Palestine, Ohio, after an epic train derailment just days into his arrival in Washington. His work in the tech sector has drawn impressed nods from Silicon Valley, although the child-online-safety legislation he co-sponsored passed the Senate with him [missing](https://www.cleveland.com/open/2024/07/us-senate-passes-bipartisan-legislation-to-protect-kids-online-sen-jd-vance-misses-the-vote.html) the vote.  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a campaign rally at the Highmark Amphitheater on Sept. 5, 2024, in Erie, Penn. Jeff Swensen—Getty Images And Walz can cite his state’s universal free meals [program](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/19/universal-free-school-lunches-harris-walz-campaign.html) for students and his success in passing universal background checks for guns and enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution. But he has yet to fully bat away attacks over his decision last year to sign into law a measure that all students from the fourth grade on must have access to menstrual products in school bathrooms. The bill drew little public objection at the time but conservatives pounced on it as soon as Harris tapped Walz, calling the Governor “Tampon Tim” and falsely [arguing](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/16/us/politics/walz-free-tampons-schools-minnesota.html) he had required public schools to put menstrual products in every boys bathroom. That’s why, in keeping with the running mates’ tried role as attack machine, Vance and Walz each have been studying up on the rival’s record. For Vance, that means a whole lot of time mastering Walz’s voting history in the House and his time leading Minnesota, including the [stretch](https://www.vox.com/2024-elections/365535/tim-walz-minneapolis-burning-riot-george-floyd-minnesota-2020-protest) that saw the confluence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the unrest in Minneapolis after George Floyd’s death at the hands of police. Audiences should expect Vance to accuse Walz of waiting too long to [dispatch](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/13/walz-role-george-floyd-protests-minneapolis/) the National Guard to restore order. To help him get ready, Vance has deputized House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican, to play the role of Walz during debate prep sessions. And Walz has at the ready plenty of Vance’s previous comments, including many from before he was in office. Some of those were highly, highly critical of Trump, as TIME brought up during an [interview](https://time.com/6078483/j-d-vance-interview-trump/) with Vance back in 2021, prompting the most under-appreciated _mea culpa_ in some time: “I’m not just a flip-flopper, I’m a flip-flop-flipper on Trump.” Vance has questioned why people without children get a say in schools, and his “childless cat ladies” [dismissal](https://www.npr.org/2024/07/29/nx-s1-5055616/jd-vance-childless-cat-lady-history) has become a stand-in for the perceived disrespect for voters who haven’t given birth—Harris [included](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/25/us/politics/jd-vance-kamala-harris-childless.html). For his part, Walz has been practicing against Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a former Mayor of South Bend, Ind. **Watch**: _'_[_Our country is in a very delicate place. It's almost scary.' Election Officials in Battleground States Open Up About 2024_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfjc5XGQ7HE) The policy positions, the authenticity, the vibes even matter in this race. But the real reason debate prep sessions have been centering on this caliber of critique is because both campaigns see an opportunity to turn the other side into a parody of itself, a down-the-rabbit-hole example of a toxic culture war that neither side can truly win. Vance will [rail](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/27/vance-sends-a-wokeness-questionnaire-to-state-nominees-00108608) against “wokeness”; Walz found the sweet spot as he was running the shadow campaign for Harris’ rose ceremony when he [called](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/weird-jd-vance-trump-walz-history-kamala-harris-rcna164575) the GOP ticket “weird.” In a way, Vance and Walz are on a similar mission: make the other guy unpalatable. It’s not elegant. It’s far from high-minded or even approximating wonky. But it is what the strategists prepping them think is the most lethal play at this moment when voters are just starting to tune into the rest of the ticket. With five weeks until Election Day, this is not the time for petit niceties but rather petty needling. Voters say they hate the negativity—the ads, the rhetoric, the innuendo and its stronger cousin slander. But here’s the thing: it usually works. The culture wars spark fear, and fear puts people at voting centers. Both campaigns get it, and voters are just going to have to strap in for this final push. _Make sense of what matters in Washington._ [_Sign up for the D.C. Brief newsletter_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/signup?nln=dc-brief&source=dc%5Fonsite)_._ ## Transcript In town. It's the honor of my life to accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States. We're all here tonight for one beautiful, simple reason. We love this country. So thank you to all of you here in Chicago and all of you watching at home tonight. Thank you for your passion. Thank you for your determination, and most of all, thank you for bringing the joy to this fight. But it was those players and my students who inspired me to run for Congress. They saw in me what I had hoped to instill in them, a commitment to the common good, an understanding that we're all in this together. And the belief that a single person can make a real difference for their neighbors. So there I was a 40 something high school teacher with little kids, zero political experience, and no money running in a deep red district. But you know what? Never underestimate a public school teacher. Now, when Republicans use the word freedom, they mean that the government should be free to invade your doctor's office. Corporations free to pollute your air and water, and banks free to take advantage of customers. But when we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people that you love. Freedom to make your own health care decisions. And yeah, your kids freedom to go to school without worrying about being shot dead in the hall. Look, I know guns. I'm a veteran. I'm a hunter. And I was a better shot than most Republicans in Congress, and I got the trophies to prove it. But I'm also a dad. I believe in the second amendment, but I also believe our first responsibility is to keep our kids safe. That's what this is all about. Some folks just don't understand what it takes to be a good neighbor. Take Donald Trump and JD Vance. Their project 2025 will make things much harder for people who are just trying to live their lives. They spent a lot of time pretending they know nothing about this. But look, I coach high school football long enough to know and trust me on this. When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they're gonna use it. O Here's the thing. It's an agenda nobody asked for. It's an agenda that serves nobody except the richest and the most extreme amongst us. And it's an agenda that does nothing for our neighbors in need. Is it weird? Absolutely. Absolutely. But it's also wrong. And it's dangerous. So while other states were banning books from their schools, we were banishing hunger from ours. We also protected reproductive freedom, because in Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make. And even if we wouldn't make those same choices for ourselves, we've got a golden rule. Mind your own damn business. And that includes IVF and fertility treatments. Look. We got 76 days. That's nothing. There'll be time to sleep when your dad. We're gonna leave it on the field. That's how we'll keep moving forward. That's how we'll turn the page on Donald Trump. That's how we'll build a country where workers come first. Healthcare and housing are human rights. And the government stays the hell out of your bedroom. That's how we make America a place where no child is left hungry, where no community is left behind, where nobody gets told they don't belong. That's how we're gonna fight. And as the next president of the United States always says, When we fight. When we fight. When we fight. Thank you. God. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7026398/walz-vance-debate-what-to-expect/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7026398/walz-vance-debate-what-to-expect/"},"headline":"Why the Vance-Walz Debate Is Primed to Be Messy","datePublished":"2024-09-30T11:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-01-19T13:15:32.000Z","description":"Haitians, tampons, cat ladies.","url":"https://time.com/7026398/walz-vance-debate-what-to-expect/","keywords":["The D.C. Brief","Leadership"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltedda198e1c92b5cb/698a5b8ab3fce3c6370cdaa7/GettyImages-2171230029.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Philip Elliott","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltedda198e1c92b5cb/698a5b8ab3fce3c6370cdaa7/GettyImages-2171230029.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Donald Trump Makes Campaign Stop In North Carolina","caption":"Donald Trump Makes Campaign Stop In North Carolina","creditText":"Allison Joyce—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/the-dc-brief/","name":"The D.C. Brief"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7026398/walz-vance-debate-what-to-expect/","name":"Why the Vance-Walz Debate Is Primed to Be Messy"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"‘Never Underestimate a Public School Teacher’: Key Moments from Tim Walz’s DNC Speech","description":"Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz gave a rousing 14-minute psych-up speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday night. The former high school teacher and football coach turned Minnesota governor tapped into his experience revving up players on the field to encourage Democrats to help Vice President Kamala Harris beat former President Donald Trump in the November election.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Twy35LVp/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2024-08-22T06:44:21.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Twy35LVp.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7026398/walz-vance-debate-what-to-expect/","duration":"PT5M58S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7026398/walz-vance-debate-what-to-expect/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```