Democrats voice concern over bumbling Tim Walz in low-key VP debate with more polished JD Vance: ‘Why should we vote for you?’

Democratic pundits were left scratching their heads in disbelief Tuesday night after the at time stumbling performance of Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, MInnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Walz started off shaky, often mixing up his words and appeared anxious and unable to answer when pressed on his own misstatements about his past and experience.

‘I was missing the magic and the organic spontaneity of Tim Walz,’ said former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki.

Symone Sanders Townsend, an MSNBC host and former campaign manager for Bernie sanders tweeted: ‘My thoughts about this debate can all be summed up with: Gov. Walz is not prosecuting the case rather its a nicefest. If you agree with Vance on so much then why should we vote for you?’

“Walz has missed a lot of opportunities to go on the attack and point out Vance’s lies and hypocrisy. The policy wonking is not really cutting it,” said Asha Rangappa, a frequent CNN legal analyst and former special agent with the FBI in New York.

Meanwhile, ABC News’ Linsey Davis, one of the moderators of the only Trump-Harris debate, delivered a crushing analysis of Walz’s performance – likening it to Joe Biden’s disatrous performance in his only debate against Trump.

“It kind of reminded me of the June 27th debate when Kamala Harris that night said of Joe Biden it was a “slow start, but a ‘strong finish”‘, said Davis, who along with co-moderator David Muir, was accused of bias for the Democrat.

‘And that’s how it felt that Tim Walz kind of did tonight. You know, to use Tim Walz’s own words, I mean, a lot about this debate tonight was weird. There were uncomfortable, cringey moments,’ she said after the Walz-Vance debate.

And MSNBC’s summed up the Democrat frustration succinctly, saying Walz left him ‘bummed out’.

After host Rachel Maddow praised Walz’s response to the Jan. 6 riot question, insisting the Democrat knocked Vance ‘out cold,’ Hayes had a very different take on the exchange, saying Walz ‘almost apologizes’ for calling the mob taking over the Capitol a ‘threat to demopcracy.’

‘You could see it in his face, because you can hear when someone’s throat is a little closed, he does not like fighting and arguing, he doesn’t like delivering the blow, that’s not who he is. He had to steel himself, he almost had to apologize for it.’

“I’m kind of bummed out by this,’ he said.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Joe Biden is sending 1,000 active-duty soldiers to North Carolina to help with the response to Hurricane Helene, the White House announced.

‘These soldiers will speed up the delivery of life-saving supplies of food, water, and medicine to isolated communities in North Carolina – they have the manpower and logistical capabilities to get this vital job done, and fast. They will join hundreds of North Carolina National Guard members deployed under State authorities in support of the response,’ Biden said in a statement.

North Carolina was hit hard, particularly in its western mountain region. The tourist-heavy town of Asheville suffered terrible flooding and destruction. Compounding the problem, several main routes into Asheville were washed away or blocked by mudslides, including a 4-mile section of Interstate 40.

The Department of Defense already has activated 22 helicopters to aid in search and rescue operations and provided dozens of high-water vehicles as part of rescue efforts.

In total, FEMA has shipped over 8.5 million meals, more than 7 million liters of water, 150 generators and over 220,000 tarps to aid response efforts, the White House said.

Biden will visit Raleigh, N.C., today to be briefed by emergency responders at the command center there.

The ad – which comes out with 34 days left until the election – contrasts Trump’s plan for ‘no taxes on tips’ or overtime pay and social security.

Under Harris, your taxes are going to go up the ad states.

Vice President Kamala Harris’s husband assaulted his ex-girlfriend, three friends have told Dailymail.com.

The Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, 59, allegedly struck the woman in the face so hard she spun around, while waiting in a valet line late at night after a May 2012 Cannes Film Festival event in France.

One of her friends told DailyMail.com that the woman called him immediately after the incident, sobbing in her cab, and described the alleged assault.

DailyMail.com is not naming the woman, who is a successful New York attorney, but will refer to her by the pseudonym ‘Jane’.

A second friend said Jane, who had been dating Emhoff for three months, also told her about the alleged violence at the time.

By Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Republican Speaker Mike Johnson said that Congress must approve funding for Hurricane Helene relief on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning.

Co-host Brian Kilmeade asked the GOP leader how much he thinks the historic storm will cost, suggesting it will be around $35 billion for the federal government to clean up the impacted areas in Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and elsewhere.

It will be much higher than that, of course,’ Johnson responded. ‘Look at the swathe and breadth of the damage across some states.’

‘It will take 30 days or more for them to assess that. Congress will have to address it.’

‘This is an appropriate role for the federal government,’ he added.

Despite his grandson saying he was ‘limited’ as he turned 100, Jimmy Carter spent his birthday in the sunshine enjoying a military flyover at his Georgia home.

Carter – the first American president to reach the century mark – was able to watch a flyover of four F-18 jets and several vintage planes that graced the skies over Plains, Georgia as part of the town’s celebrations, per CBS News.

He was also feted at Plains High School, where Carter graduated in 1941 and which now serves as the visitor center for the national park that features sites from his early life, including the nearby peanut farm where he grew up.

On Tuesday evening, the school held a concert in honor of the president, and in the morning, a naturalization ceremony for 100 new US citizens, who placed hands over their hearts and recited the pledge of allegiance.

Carter’s grandson Jason issued a concerning update on the former president’s health as he celebrates, but revealed who he wished to vote for in the upcoming presidential election.

Pundits and commentators online were not all pleased with the CBS News moderators’ performance during Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate.

The most jarring moment came when Margaret Brennan fact-checked Republican VP nominee, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance over comments he made about Haitian migrants.

That led to a back-and-forth that ended with Brennan and Norah O’Donnell cutting off the candidates’ mics.

‘F you CBS – how dare you,’ conservative host Megyn Kelly tweeted. ‘Tried to fact check. JD put you in your place. You won’t [let] him fight you and you wont let them debate.’

A user on X chimed in: ‘JD Vance called out the moderators for lying to the audience, and CBS immediately muted him. Legacy media is clearly controlled by the Democrats.’

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will make separate trips south to see a trio of states devastated by Hurricane Helene.

Biden will take an aerial tour of South Carolina before being briefed by emergency responders in Raleigh, N.C.

Harris will visit Georgia to see the storm damage and be briefed there. The Democratic presidential nominee canceled plans to campaign in Pennsylvania on Wednesday so she could visit the areas impacted by the hurricane.

Donald Trump, who visited Georgia on Tuesday, has been critical of the administration’s response to Helene, falsely claiming Biden wouldn’t speak to the state’s governor.

The death toll from the storm is approaching 160 people, and power and cellular service remains unavailable in many places.

Biden has said the administration is sending ‘every available resource’ to those areas.

Sarah Ewall-Wice, Senior U.S. Political Reporter:

Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz is heading out on a post-debate campaigning, fundraising and media blitz that will take him to at least six states.

Today, the Democratic vice presidential nominee will head to Pennsylvania for a bus tour with stops in central Pennsylvania including Harrisburg, Reading and York where he will hold a rally with Senator John Fetterman. During the swing, he’ll meet with labor leaders, rural voters and Latino community members.

On Saturday, Walz will head to Ohio for fundraising before heading west with stops in California and Washington. He will then head through the Sunbelt with stops in Nevada and Arizona.

At the same time, the Minnesota governor will be upping his appearances with the media including making his late night TV debut and sitting down for two national tv interviews. He will also record several digital appearances including joining a top pop culture podcast.

In a debate where he botched some phrases and said he is sometimes a ‘knucklehead,’ Tim Walz asked a pointed question to J.D. Vance about whether Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

The response he got from Trump’s running mate is one that Democrats believe will bolster their case that Trump is a threat to democracy and Vance would help him overturn the will of the voters.

‘Did he lose the 2020 election?’ Walz asked Vance after the debate moderators set up a long question for the Ohio senator that included pointing out having 62 election claims by Trump and his allies tossed out of court.

‘Tim, I’m focused on the future,’ Vance said. Then he tried to change the subject. ‘Did Kamala Harris censor Americans from speaking their mind in the wake of the 2020 covid situation,’ Vance responded.

The high-stakes showdown between GOP Sen. J.D. Vance and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz comes with just 35 days left until the election and with polls showing it could be one of the closest races in decades.

However, some on X getting a first look at Vance seemed entranced by the Ohio Senator’s eyes.

Even Democrats seemed taken with Vance, one writing: ‘I don’t know much about Vance, but I’m entranced by his icy blue eyes,’ before clarifying she wasn’t voting for him.

Another added: ‘Definitely having a girly moment….but JD Vance has such pretty eyes!!’

Judi James told DailyMail.com that the debate could be encapsulated at the end when Vance and Walz attempted to shake hands with a ‘very well-mannered battle for power and status.’

She said that Vance walked over to Walz and did a ‘drop-dig hand gesture to register a hearty strength.’

Vance got the upper hand by patting Walz’s arm before Walz did the same in return, in an attempt to laugh it off.

James echoed what many on social media saw as a refreshing geniality to the debate, citing the moment where Vance had a knowing laugh at Walz admitting he can ‘miss-speak’ like Trump.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was posting Wednesday morning about one of his strongest moments of the debate, when he confronted J.D. Vance

He was referencing the confrontation he asked Vance point-blank about running mate Donald Trump: ‘Did he lose the 2020 election?’ Walz said.

‘Tim, I’m focused on the future,’ Vance said, changing the subject to censorship on social media. Walz called it a ‘’damning non-answer’ on the debate stage.

‘Last night, what JD Vance didn’t say said everything,’ Walz posted on X Wednesday morning. Vance has previously said he would have asked states to submit ‘alternate slates of electors’ if he had been vice president January 6. That’s something Trump was demanding as part of his election overturn effort.

Walz’s post came as some of his own flubs, including a confusing answer on his trip to Hong Kong, a stumble on Israel, and accidentally saying he was friends with school shooters were getting parsed by commentators.

Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance outperformed his Democratic rival Tim Walz in their one and only debate of the 2024 race, according to DailyMail.com’s exclusive snap poll.

The high-stakes showdown on CBS just 35 days before the general election was a chance for the vice presidential picks to prove their credentials to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

The candidates tangled over abortion, immigration, gun violence and the Middle East and took plenty of opportunities to present each other as extreme or ‘weird’.

They also bigged up their bosses, Trump and Kamala Harris, in the midst of the final campaign sprint in what is shaping up to be one of the closest races in decades.

But it was Vance who left the best impression with viewers, after a strong start against his nervy opponent and despite dodging a question on if Trump lost the 2020 election.

According to the DailyMail.com/J.L Partners poll of 801 likely voters, 50 percent said Vance won the debate compared to just 43 percent who said Walz was the victor.