Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate between Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz felt like a polite and relatively low-key conversation about the issues on American voters’ minds ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

In this respect, it differed from the two presidential debates earlier this year.

During more than 90 minutes on the CBS News stage in New York, the two men spent far more time attacking each other’s vice president than each other.

Walz got off to a rocky start but made good progress as he talked about abortion and the Capitol insurrection.

But the balanced, policy-focused debate with few political punches probably served Vance — an educated speaker — the most in the end.

If Vance was chosen for putting ideological meat on the bones of Trump’s conservative populism, he also put a polite, humble face on them Tuesday night.

“These people are making a lot of claims that if Donald Trump becomes president, all these terrible consequences are going to happen,” he said. “But in reality, Donald Trump was president. Inflation was low. The take-home pay was higher.”

There were moments when the Republican candidate bristled at what he saw as unfair fact-checking by the two CBS anchors, and at one point both candidates’ microphones were temporarily muted.

But for the most part, the exchange on stage was balanced.

And there were several moments when the two men agreed on certain points – and said so.

“There are a lot of similarities here,” Walz said toward the end of the evening.

When Walz talked about his 17-year-old witnessing a shooting at a community center, Vance seemed genuinely concerned.

“I’m sorry and I hope he’s okay,” he said. “Christ have mercy, it’s terrible.”

The most heated disagreements came toward the end of the debate over Trump’s repeated and false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

When Vance was asked whether Trump lost the last presidential election, he dodged the question and criticized what he described as censorship of Kamala Harris.

Walz was quick to note that it was a “fucking non-response.”

“To deny what happened on January 6th, the first time an American president or anyone tried to overturn an election. “This has to stop,” he said. “It’s tearing our country apart.”

Walz went on to say that the only reason Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president, was not on stage was because he was confirming President Joe Biden’s victory.

Vance had no answer and emphasized that aside from his friendly demeanor and agreeableness, he would not deviate from Trump’s position.

Vance and Walz came to this debate with different skill sets. Vance engaged in heated arguments with journalists on television. Walz is at home in the election campaign and uses his folksy style in contrast to more solid politicians.

At the start of this debate, with both candidates standing behind podiums in a New York television studio, Vance seemed much more comfortable. His answers were smooth and unyielding, constantly reminding the audience that despite Vice President Kamala Harris’ promises, Democrats have held the White House for the past three and a half years.

“If Kamala Harris has such big plans to address the problems of the middle class, she should implement them now,” he said.

Walz, for his part, appeared hesitant and uncertain on the opening topic, dealing with the Iranian missile attack on Israel on Tuesday and whether the candidates would support an Israeli preemptive strike against Iran. The Minnesota governor rarely speaks about foreign policy, and his discomfort on the subject was evident.

The Democrat got along as the debate progressed, and during his exchanges with Vance on immigration – an area of ​​Republican strength – both delivered precise messages.

Vance denied allegations that he amplified false claims about the theft and consumption of pets by Haitian immigrants in Ohio.

“The people I worry about most in Springfield, Ohio, are the American citizens whose lives have been ruined by Kamala Harris’ border policies,” he said.

Vance said undocumented migration strains the city’s resources, drives up prices and depresses wages.

Walz pointed to Trump’s opposition to proposed bipartisan immigration legislation earlier this year.

“I believe Senator Vance wants to solve this problem, but by standing with Donald Trump and not working together to find a solution, it becomes a talking point, and when it becomes such a talking point, we dehumanize and denigrate other people. “

When the issue turned to abortion rights – an area where polls show Democrats are strong – it was Vance who took the defense, acknowledging that Republicans needed to do more to win the trust of American voters.

“I want us as the Republican Party to be pro-family in the truest sense of the word,” he said. “I want us to make it easier for mothers to afford children. We can do so much on the public political front just to give women more opportunities.”

Walz responded that the Democratic view on abortion is simple: “We are pro-women. We are pro-freedom to make your own choice.”

If Walz focused more on abortion, he declined to step up his attacks when it came to gun control.

After Vance said it was important to increase security in schools and make doors and windows “stronger,” Walz talked about background checks instead of supporting Democrats’ calls for an assault weapons ban and other restrictions on firearms.

As a congressman, Walz regularly voted for gun rights and against many gun control measures, winning the praise of the pro-gun National Rifle Association. He said during the debate that his views on gun control changed after the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, but some Democrats may be disappointed that he didn’t press Vance harder Tuesday night.

American political history suggests that vice president debates don’t really matter.

In 1988, Democrat Lloyd Bentsen defeated Republican Dan Quayle. A few months later, Quayle was sworn in as vice president after his ticket won in a landslide.

It may turn out that this debate is also irrelevant to the November results. However, unless a last-minute debate is announced, this will be the last word both parties have in a debate before Election Day.

Walz did no harm to the Democratic candidacy and showed some of the Midwestern charm that made him Harris’ choice.

But Vance’s strong performance is likely to give Republicans a boost in the coming days.

And the lasting impact of the debate could be to convince members of his party that the senator from Ohio, just 40 years old, has a future in national conservative politics as he is able to make their ideological priorities clear on the brightest stages to move forward.