Tipsheet

Linsey Davis' Take on Walz's Debate Performance May Have Harris Wishing She Picked Someone Else

Many readers know of ABC News' Linsey Davis for how particularly biased she was during last month's debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former and potentially future President Donald Trump. She did make a particularly newsworthy point about Tuesday night's vice presidential debate between Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) on CBS News, though. And it's terrible news for the Democratic ticket.

The Trump War Room was all too happy to share a clip of Davis comparing Walz's performance to that of President Joe Biden from June 27. "It kind of reminded me of the June 27 debate, when Kamala Harris that night said of Joe Biden, it was a slow start, but a strong finish," Davis said, adding "that's how I felt that Tim Walz kind of did, uh, tonight."

Davis even used Walz's own insults for the Republican ticket, specifically when it comes to how "weird" he finds Vance to be. "You know, Tim Walz's own words, I mean, a lot of tonight was weird! There were uncomfortable, cringy moments," the ABC News host admitted. She went on to offer some positives about Vance's performance as well, quoting former RNC Chairman Reince Priebus about how he "needed to come away as that humble, guy likeable guy from 'Hillbilly Elegy' and "it seems like he did perhaps get some points in that area."

Vance did indeed see a favorable boost in the snap polls following the debate, and both the CBS News and CNN polls found that debate watchers thought Vance won. 

As we all know, Biden of course did not actually have "a strong finish" in the long run of that consequential debate. He was forced out of the race by his fellow Democrats less than a month later, on July 21. 

These aren't the only awkward comparisons between Biden and Walz, however. There have also been reminders about how the DNC claimed Walz won the debate, just as they claimed that Biden did following his June 27 debate against Trump. 

There's been plenty of chatter about how Harris perhaps should have picked Gov. Josh Shapiro instead and thus may be having "buyer's remorse," as Cygnal's Brent Buchanan highlighted in his Wednesday morning daily takes. 

In sharing takeaways from Reuters, Buchanan previewed a Pennsylvania poll they're conducting and noted that "Harris would've been wise to pick Josh Shapiro after Tim Walz's poor, bumbling performance last night," also adding in part that "Walz seemed to barely live up to the low expectations he set for himself."

Walz had been reportedly nervous in the days leading up to the debate, and it certainly showed on Tuesday night. 

Shapiro is a popular enough governor of the commonwealth. Meanwhile, Harris and Trump are currently tied there, per RealClearPolling. This election could very well come down to this key swing state and their 19 electoral votes.