Walz and Vance face each other before elections – DW – October 2nd, 2024

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and Republican nominee JD Vance each claim to be the true voice of Midwestern swing states that both parties must win.

But they offer contrasting visions for the future of the United States.

Walz, 60, has been governor of Minnesota since 2019 after serving as a state lawmaker for more than a decade.

As governor, he pursued a progressive agenda by enacting free school meals, overseeing tax cuts for the middle class and expanding paid leave for workers. As governor, Walz has also expressed compassion for refugees and immigrants and supported legislation in 2023 to enshrine abortion rights in Minnesota.

Walz’s years as a high school teacher and football coach have contributed to a folksy personality that he has repeatedly compared to the “craziness” of pro-Trump Republicans.

Vance, 40, has been a senator for Ohio since 2023.

He wrote the bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” about his working-class upbringing and his Appalachian roots.

Vance was previously a vocal Trump critic before adopting a more aggressive conservative image, recently calling Democrats “childless cat ladies.”

Following Trump, the Ohio senator railed against illegal immigration while rejecting free trade. Vance is a social conservative, criticizes abortion and often says the U.S. should do more to increase the country’s birth rate.

Regarding foreign policy, he also criticized aid to Ukraine and believes that China is the biggest foreign policy challenge for the US.