Less Springfield, more policy contrast: Republicans praise Vance's debate performance -- and want more
Before Tuesday night's vice presidential debate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance garnered a reputation as an intellectual heir to former President Donald Trump's political brand and a warrior for the GOP's more chronically online flank.
He made headlines for past remarks about "childless cat ladies" and saying that he'd "create stories" like that about pet-eating migrants in Springfield, Ohio, to get the media to pay attention to the border, while honing his skills sparring with the right's enemies, be they liberals or the media, who were perceived to be fundamentally altering the nation's fabric.
Tuesday, Republicans saw something different -- and, a half-dozen GOP strategists said, they want more.
The CBS News-hosted debate saw Vance execute a contrast in records on economic and foreign policy between the Trump administration and the tenure of Vice President Kamala Harris, arguing prices were lower and the world was safer four years ago.
And while Springfield got a mention -- mainly as an attack line by his Democratic opponent, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz -- Vance largely stuck to the issues and veered away from topics that animate a wing of the GOP that's inflamed by the culture battle du jour but largely settled behind Trump this year.
"This was the Vance that's an actual add, and I don't know that we've seen this up until last night," one former senior Trump administration official said. "This is the first time that we saw Vance actually view his role as something different than just an echo."
"I'd be comfortable putting last night's JD Vance in a lot of different settings. Up until this point, I wouldn't have sent him to suburban Philadelphia or suburban Atlanta," the person added. "Last night proved that maybe he can do that and maybe he can connect to some Trump skeptical voters."
Standing next to Walz, whose performance Tuesday was shakier than Vance's, particularly at the start, Vance, leaned less on culture war issues and executed a playbook of bringing whatever question that had been posed back to Harris.
"When did Iran and Hamas and their proxies attack Israel? It was during the administration of Kamala Harris," Vance said at the debate's outset. "So, Governor Walz can criticize Donald Trump's tweets, but effective, smart diplomacy and peace through strength is how you bring stability back to a very broken world."
"If Kamala Harris has such great plans for how to address middle class problems, then she ought to do them now, not when asking for a promotion, but in the job the American people gave her three and a half years ago," he added later.
Nowhere to be found were slams of "Tampon Tim" or criticisms of Walz's past characterizations of his military service. When a question was brought up over Walz's false claims of being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre, Vance didn't pounce but let his opponent offer a scattered answer, and when the Minnesotan brought up Springfield, Vance stayed away from conspiracy theories about pets being eaten.
Even on abortion, instead of repeating Trump's twisting positions, Vance conceded that Republicans must do a "better of a job at earning the American people's trust back on this issue."
"Forums like last night’s debate offer President Trump and Senator Vance the opportunity to share their policy agenda directly with the American people: higher wages, lower prices, a secure border, and peace around the world," Vance spokesperson Vance Schroeder said in a statement.
To be certain, Vance didn't stay away from hot-button issues entirely, including at the end of the debate when he would not definitively say that Trump lost in 2020 -- a moment that Democrats quickly turned into a campaign ad. But, Republicans said, Vance's overall performance could help puncture preconceived notions of him among undecided voters.
"Voters, especially lower-information voters, swing voters, voters that care about issues more so than personality and process, Vance has a lot to offer in terms of his policy positions, the way he contrasts with the current administration," GOP pollster Robert Blizzard said. "It was positive last night. I think the more voters see and hear the contrast between the two, the better off Republicans will be."
The debate Tuesday was reminiscent of other debate performances Vance has had in his career.
During his 2022 Senate run, he admonished two Republican primary opponents who nearly came to blows on stage, urging a more civil discussion of the issues rather than the bluster they were performing. And during his 2022 general election debate against then-Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, Vance was nimble on his feet and able to pivot toward favorable topics, including once where he was able to shift the conversation from abortion to immigration.
And, strategists said, there's a balance to be struck.
In a harshly partisan political environment with a dwindling number of undecided voters, turning out one's base is crucial -- and for Republicans, that might mean launching fierce attacks. But that alone won't cut it, strategists said.
"He's gotten very effective in media interviews, and that gets sporty, for sure. So, I think he's effective there. But also, we have, obviously, a problem with suburban women, and I think that this side we saw of JD Vance last night" is effective, said Tricia McLaughlin, a GOP strategist who worked on the presidential campaign of Vivek Ramaswamy, another culture warrior.
"There's definitely a fighter in Trump, but JD Vance is obviously highly articulate in a way most politicians aren't. So, I think that this shows that there's dynamics to him, that he can be used in multiple ways, not just as an attack dog," she added.
Still, given that Trump's base is largely locked in for him, those swing voters are key, and repeats of Tuesday night's debate could be a potent playbook for Republicans, GOP operatives said.
When it was noted that Springfield did not come up extensively at the debate, Trump donor Dan Eberhart simply said, "Thank goodness."
"I think more of the way he conducted himself last night is only going to benefit himself and the campaign," he said.
