Sen. JD Vance revealed who will help him prepare for next week’s vice presidential debate by impersonating Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in mock practice sessions.
House Republican Leader Tom Emmer, the third-most powerful GOP representative, will help Vance, 40, prepare to take on Walz, 60.
Vance confirmed that Emmer will join his prep team during a campaign event in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday afternoon.
But they have not yet held a mock session, just eight days before the showdown.
“Tom, who is a great representative of the state of Minnesota, has not helped us yet,” Vance said.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, has reportedly been preparing for his debate against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz by practicing against Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn.
“But I think we’re going to try to call it up in the next few weeks as we really start to think about how to present our best case during this debate,” Vance added.
The vice presidential candidates will face off in a live debate on Tuesday, October 1 on CBS.
It is expected to be one of the last major televised events before voters cast their ballots in the presidential race.
In fact, some states have already begun early voting by mail, so the showdown could prove influential among those still undecided.
A source close to the debate preparations told NOTUS that Emmer has been rehearsing his role for the past month and was hand-picked due to his familiarity with the “friendly Minnesotan” character.
But whether Walz will embrace that Midwestern trope remains to be seen.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz delivers remarks at a campaign event in Superior, Wisconsin, U.S., September 14, 2024. Walz and Emmer have both represented Minnesota in Congress.
House Republican Leader Tom Emmer has been practicing his Walz impression for the past month to prepare Vance for their Oct. 1 debate.
So Vance and his team have also prepared for a more fiery version of the Democratic vice presidential nominee.
“For over a month now, JD has been conducting homicide court preparation sessions, both via Zoom and in person,” the source told NOTUS.
‘The homicide board sessions have been bombarding JD with question after question,’ they added.
‘Basically, your team acts as a moderator and bombards you with questions to see how you naturally respond to things.’
Vance’s team is tired of Walz going on the offensive like Kamala Harris did with Donald Trump during their debate.
To mitigate that, Emmer, sources said, has been working to simulate Walz’s debating style.
The Republican leader has spent hours practicing the governor’s gestures and polishing the Democrat’s policy proposals, they said.
Walz and Vance are scheduled to debate on CBS on Oct. 1.
“One of the main goals of next week’s debate is to dispel Walz’s false image as a moderate and expose him as a leftist,” another source told the outlet about the Republican’s preparations.
Vance’s wife, Usha, is also participating in Ohioan debate practice, as is Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller, sources said.