Well, early polls show Americans are split over who won the vice presidential debate Tuesday night, where Ohio Senator J.D.

Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz squared off for the first and only time before the election in an event that largely focused on policy in a collegial and civil manner, something that's become increasingly rare in politics.

It's unlikely this debate will change the outcome of the presidential election.

But a senior political correspondent David Cruz reports.

It may just motivate more of each party's base to get out and vote.

The first rule of vice presidential debates is do no harm.

And in that regard, the one and only debate between vice presidential candidates J.D.

Vance and Tim Walz delivered.

Although most pundits and analysts felt Vance was the more polished debater and that Walz may have had too many facts ready to go, the onus was on the Republican whose V.P.

rollout was not the best.

He came off as both knowledgeable and likable, which is is a trick right in our politics today to do both.

Especially when you're so unlikable.

Well, listen, I think he certainly came into the debate with the worst image of of the job.

But I thought he did himself a favor last night.

I think people thought that the thought that neither side really screwed up their side.

You know, did anything to hurt their their running mate.

You know, Vance had to reintroduce himself.

So in a sense, he did that.

The rules were that you are going to fact check.

And since you're fact checking me, I think it's important to say what's actually going on.

You still saying he didn't lose the election?

I would just.

That's right.

Did he lose the 2020 election?

Tim, I'm focused on the future.

Did Kamala Harris censor Americans from speaking their mind in the wake of the 2020 COVID situation?

That is something that is a damning non-answer.

I thought it was civilized, but it still was all kind of rhetoric and not a lot of, you know, speaking from the heart of kind of things that I, I was looking for.

So after about a half hour, I bailed on her and I went and marched the baseball team and stayed.

With the candidates.

People are so torn between them that it's like going to be closed.

Like as far as like the race and whatnot.

And it's scary because we really don't know what's going through which way America is going to go.

There was some discussion the morning after about Vance Mansplaining to the female moderators and while still being unable to explain his travel to China from decades ago.

Thank you, gentlemen.

We want to have.

An app is not been on the books since 1990.

It's something that.

Was created for.

Gentlemen, the audience can't hear you because you're mics are cut.

We have so much we want to get to.

Thank you for explaining the legal process.

Nora Governor, just to follow up on that, the question was, can you explain the discepency?

All I said on this was as I got there that summer and misspoke on this.

So I will just that's what I've said.

Most of which if past Vice presidential debates are any indication, will move the needle not one bit.

Before November.

I have long thought for many, many months that this was not a persuasion election and has not been because Donald Trump's existence is so powerful in people's minds that you either love him or you hate him, but you know how you're voting.

And so this is a turnout election.

This is an election where both sides need to make sure that their voters come to the polls.

And if I were in their shoes, I would stop persuading them on issues and start persuading them on turnout.

The VP debate represented the final opportunity for the campaigns to capitalize on a flub or some other unforced errors.

Having failed at that, this one can now go into the history books next to the one where that guy debated the other guy and that few people remember.

I'm David Cruz.

NJ Spotlight News.