On Tuesday, Oct. 1, Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz faced off in the first and only vice presidential debate hosted by Columbia Broadcasting System in New York City. With the presidential election around the corner, voters are looking for answers to their questions. Among those voters are students and teachers who watched the vice presidential debate closely as they prepare to vote in Nov. While several noteworthy topics were displayed, some issues and moments that students and teachers found most important were the candidates’ responses about the economy and gun safety.

On the issue of gun safety, the two candidates presented plans to make schools safer and reduce gun violence. This comes at a time when the number of school shootings in the United States has increased by 55 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic. Walz proposed that Americans should have to register for firearms to keep track of firearm owners. He also proposed to conduct background checks if necessary. On the other hand, Vance took a different approach. He suggested that schools increase security by strengthening doors and windows and enforcing security guards on campuses. Senior Elle Hock, Co-President of the Democratic Club, felt Walz’s plan had a more effective approach than Vance’s. 

“We need to focus on the guns and the root of the problem, not just the leaf of the tree, because Vance’s proposal that we lock down our schools and make them even more secure is not going to help. It’s just closing off an issue,” Hock said.

Additionally, Walz and Vance offered drastically different economic ideas. Junior Everett Gross, who describes himself as “conservative-leaning,” said he felt that Vance’s arguments regarding the economy were stronger. 

“I think one of the really big advantages he has is that neither [Vance] nor Donald Trump are currently in office, whereas Vice President Harris is. I think that even Walz agreed that the economy isn’t perfect right now, especially with inflation and for younger voters,” Gross said.

Several other moments caught the attention of viewers of the debate, including when Vance was presented with the events of Jan. 6. When Walz asked Vance whether he believed Trump lost the 2020 election, Vance did not give a direct answer. Social Studies teacher Nikolai Butkevich offered insight and commented on the moment’s significance. 

“The exchange where Walz had his best moment was when he put Vance on the defense about Jan 6. It doesn’t matter how good of a debater you are if you have to defend the indefensible and all you can do is say, ‘Well, social media was censored.’ [That response] doesn’t back the claim up,” Butkevich said. 

As a student who watched the debate intently, Hock also felt that this moment was revealing for the American people to see that Trump still hasn’t accepted defeat from the last election and how Vance tried to deflect the question, to try and hide the truth. 

“I thought that Vance’s response to Walz asking about Trump still believing that he won the 2020 election, [responding with] ‘Tim, I’m looking forward to the future,’ was a sleazy comment, which probably offset some voters that weren’t willing to accept that Trump had not won the 2020 election,” Hock said.

When comparing the candidates’ communication styles, Gross felt that Vance was much more in control and came from a more fact-driven perspective. He added that Walz spoke with emotion and, at times, got so caught up in the emotion that he seemed upset. 

Alternatively, Hock observed that Vance seemed polished, but his talking points didn’t back him up. By contrast, she said she felt Walz displayed an “All-American football coach vibe.” 

The presidential election is coming up fast on Nov. 5, and will be a pivotal event for our country. Whether or not this debate will impact the election remains unseen. 

“I think everything that happens in this campaign has a marginal impact, but a marginal impact is definitely a big deal because the race is very close and there will be certain states that will be decided by a few thousand votes,” Butkevich said.