On debate night, Vance continues to push lies about the 2020 election with ‘damning nonanswer’
Plus, Tammy Baldwin secures a key Heartland endorsement.
During last night’s vice presidential debate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) refused to concede that Donald Trump had lost the 2020 presidential election. At three different points in the debate, Vance was asked from multiple parties to clarify his position on comments he made regarding the 2020 results. First, CBS News moderator Norah O’Donnell quizzed Vance on a statement he made wherein the Ohio senator called for the use of alternative electors to certify the election. O’Donnell made it clear that this approach had been called “unconstitutional and illegal.”
The question then was whether or not Vance would support this year's election results. He refused to answer and instead whitewashed former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the previous presidential election.
“Look, what President Trump has said is that there were problems in 2020. And my own belief is that we should fight about those issues, debate those issues peacefully in the public square. And that's all I've said,” Vance said.
“And that's all that Donald Trump has said. Remember, he said that on January the sixth, the protesters ought to protest peacefully. And on January the 20th, what happened? Joe Biden became the president.”
Vance’s opponent, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), chastised the senator for failing to denounce the chaos that was inflamed by Trump’s efforts. But Vance ignored Walz, claiming it was really the Democrats who were antagonistic to democracy.
“It's really rich for Democratic leaders to say that Donald Trump is a unique threat to democracy when he peacefully gave over power on January the 20th, as we have done for 250 years in this country,” Vance replied. “But we have to remember that for years in this country, Democrats protested the results of elections. Hillary Clinton in 2016 said that Donald Trump had the election stolen by Vladimir Putin because the Russians bought, like, $500,000 worth of Facebook ads.”
“If we want to say, as Tim Walz is saying, that this is just a problem that Republicans have had, I don't buy that,” he concluded.
Walz claimed that such equivocations were historical revisionism and asked Vance one last time where he stood on the 2020 election results.
“Tim, I'm focused on the future,” Vance said before again insisting it was the Democrats and their supposed “pro-censorship” agenda was the real threat to democracy.
“That is a damning nonanswer,” Walz replied.
It’s unclear how Vance’s denialism will play with the electorate. While polling suggests that more than half of Democrats and 40% of Republicans believe that this election will be especially influential on the future of American democracy, the economy continues to dominate the main concerns of voters.
And a focus group conducted by CNN after the debate saw one undecided voter pivot towards Harris based on Vance’s response to the questions surrounding Jan 6.
“One of the stark sort of aspects of that debate that really stuck with me was when they were talking about January 6 and how Mike Pence certified the election, and they were wondering if JD Vance would certify the election should Trump lose,” the voter said.
“And, you know, JD Vance didn't really give us a definitive answer. And I, I'm disappointed in that fact, and I don't think that I can trust someone you know, with my vote if they're not going to respect it.”
For the first time in 20 years, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation (WFBF) — which “serves as a voice for farmers and is the largest general farm organization in the state” — has endorsed a Democrat for state-wide election. The WFBF, who also endorsed two Republican congressional members, announced today that they would be backing Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) over Republican Eric Hovde in the upcoming senatorial race.
“The Wisconsin Farm Bureau supports Senator Tammy Baldwin for her continued dedication to Wisconsin’s agricultural community,” Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Brad President Brad Olson said in a statement.
“Senator Baldwin has led efforts to enforce FDA labeling standards through the Dairy Pride Act and increased funding in Wisconsin businesses through the Dairy Business Innovation Initiative, which has directed almost $40 million to help Wisconsin dairy businesses.”
“I am so proud to receive the endorsement of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation,” Baldwin said in response.
“Our farmers do so much for our state, which is why I’ve been determined to ensure their voices are heard in Washington and together, we’ve secured funding for farmers’ mental health care, delivered millions for dairy businesses, protected American farmland from foreign investors, and stood up to unfair trade barriers.”
Unsurprisingly, farmers are a key demographic in America's Dairyland, where more than one out of ten workers are employed in the agriculture sector and $104.8 billion is generated for the state’s economy.