Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance will face off Tuesday night in the only scheduled vice presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle.

Before they meet, Spectrum News spoke with the last person – and only Democrat – to debate Vance, former Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan.

What You Need To Know

  • Ahead of Tuesday’s vice presidential debate, Spectrum News spoke with the last person – and only Democrat - to debate Donald Trump running mate JD Vance

  • Former Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan calls Vance a skilled debater who is “tremendously more seasoned” after nearly two years in the Senate

  • Ryan, a Democrat, faced off twice with Vance, a Republican, in October 2022

  • Ryan worries Kamala Harris running mate Tim Walz’s lack of press interviews could put him at a “slight disadvantage” during the debate

“I think he’s going to be tremendously more seasoned now,” Ryan said in an interview over the weekend.

Back in 2022, Vance was running for Senate in Ohio against Ryan, who served in the U.S. House for two decades.

The two men faced off twice in October of that year, often engaging in tense exchanges as they talked about policy and politics.

Ryan, who left Congress after losing to Vance, calls his former opponent a skilled debater who has been able to polish his talents during his first two years in the Senate.

“A lot of interviews, a lot of conversations, a lot of speeches. And he’s been on TV a ton too and has done tough interviews, too,” Ryan said. “So I think he’s grown a lot since we debated a couple years ago.”

Looking back, Ryan said he probably let Vance get away with some claims during their two debates that he wished he pushed back on.

“You gotta be very, very careful if you’re debating him, to call that out in real time,” he said. “You can’t wait for something later to happen, you gotta do it when it’s unfolding in the moment.”

Ryan said the fact that Walz has done far fewer press interviews than Vance since they both became vice presidential nominees could hurt Walz on Tuesday night.

“You can practice debates, but there’s nothing in real time, as you know as a reporter, you know, someone calling you out on something when you’re face to face and the cameras are on and the lights are on and you have to respond,” Ryan said.

He added: “Even if you have a good response, in those moments, like sports, some people choke and don’t handle it well. But the more you do it, the better you get. And so I do think he may be at a slight disadvantage for not doing all these interviews, where JD Vance has been doing a lot of them."

But Ryan, who is supporting Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris, said he feels Walz’s debate experience will be completely different from Vance’s.

“Walz is really talking to the country. You know, he’s talking to independent voters, he’s going to be talking to moderate Republicans. He’s going to be trying to sell their agenda,” Ryan said. “JD Vance is going to have an audience of one. He needs to impress Donald Trump, who’s a father figure to him.”

Ryan said he hasn’t spoken with Walz ahead of the debate, but he has talked with some members of the governor’s team.