[Source: Reuters]

Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance clashed on Tuesday at a vice presidential debate that was surprisingly civil in the final stretch of an ugly election campaign marred by inflammatory rhetoric and two assassination attempts.

The two rivals, who have forcefully attacked each other on the campaign trail, mostly struck a cordial tone, instead saving their fire for the candidates at the top of their tickets, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump.

The most tense exchange occurred near the end of the debate, when Vance – who has said he would not have voted to certify the results of the 2020 election – avoided a question about whether he would challenge this year’s vote if Trump loses.

Walz responded by blaming Trump’s false claims of voter fraud for instigating the Jan. 6, 2021, mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol in an unsuccessful effort to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election.

Vance again sidestepped the question, instead accusing Harris of pursuing online censorship of opposing viewpoints.

Walz, 60, the liberal governor of Minnesota and a former high school teacher, and Vance, 40, a bestselling author and conservative firebrand U.S. senator from Ohio, have portrayed themselves as two sons of America’s Midwestern heartland with deeply opposing views on the issues gripping the country.

The rivals each sought to land a lasting blow at the last remaining debate before the Nov. 5 presidential election, arguing over the Middle East crisis, immigration, taxes, abortion, climate change and the economy.

But by and large the two men appeared intent on providing a demonstration of “Midwestern nice,” thanking each other even while they went after their respective running mates in the traditional attack-dog role for vice presidential candidates.

Vance questioned why Harris had not done more to address inflation, immigration and the economy while serving in Biden’s administration, mounting a consistent attack line that Trump often failed to deliver while debating Harris last month.

Walz described Trump as an unstable leader who had prioritized billionaires and turned Vance’s criticism on its head on the issue of immigration, attacking Trump for pressuring Republicans in Congress to abandon a bipartisan border security bill earlier this year.

The debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York began with the escalating crisis in the Middle East, after Israel continued its assault on southern Lebanon on Tuesday and Iran mounted retaliatory missiles strikes against Israel.

Walz said Trump is too “fickle” and sympathetic to strongmen to be trusted to handle the growing conflict, while Vance asserted that Trump had made the world more secure during his term.

Asked whether he would support a preemptive strike against Iran by Israel, Vance suggested he would defer to Israel’s judgment, while Walz did not directly answer the question.

Trump, watching on television, was posting furiously during the debate, sometimes twice a minute, on his Truth Social site, attacking the CBS moderators and calling Walz “pathetic” and “low IQ.”