Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance, the respective running mates for Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in the US presidential election, faced off on Tuesday, October 1 in their first and only debate.

The two vice-presidential candidates remained largely civil to each other, focusing their attacks on Harris and Trump, with a tone that contrasted with the invective hurled by the presidential candidates during their own face-off three weeks ago.

Vance, for example, said he was "sorry" to hear that Walz's son had witnessed a shooting. Walz, whose stress was more visible, thanked him.

Nevertheless, the two men revealed their differences on most issues, from abortion and immigration to climate and the economy. Abortion, which has been banned in several US states following a 2022 Supreme Court ruling, is a major campaign issue. Vance accused the Democrats of "radical pro-abortion" positions. "We're pro-women," Walz replied.

Both candidates sought to portray themselves as men close to the people. "I'm a hunter, I own firearms," said the Democrat Walz. In his closing message, he also thanked viewers who had missed the popular TV show Dancing with the Stars to watch the debate, and cited Taylor Swift's support.

Vance spoke several times about his childhood. "I remember when I was being raised by my grandmother, when she didn't have enough money to turn on the heat some nights because Ohio gets pretty cold at night and because money was often very tight," he recalled at the end of the debate.