Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took the debate stage at a tumultuous time — the Southeastern U.S. ravaged by Hurricane Helene, a war intensifying in the Middle East, dockworkers on strike along the East Coast, and Americans grappling with affordability and stability.

With 35 days until the presidential election and no further debates scheduled between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, their top surrogates began a final pitch to voters on Tuesday night.

They started with security. Vance pointed out that no wars broke out on Trump’s watch, while Walz touted Harris’ “steady” leadership style.

They talked about the hurricane and climate change. Vance promised that a Trump administration would put Americans first and help them rebuild when they suffer from a disaster. Walz blamed climate change for a Hurricane Helene “faster and stronger than anything we’ve seen” and said a Harris administration would produce more clean energy.

They talked about immigration. When Vance was asked if Trump and Vance would separate families through deportation, he said the Department of Homeland Security has already effectively lost 320,000 children — some who are now victims of sex trafficking. Walz almost immediately pointed to a bipartisan border bill in Congress that Trump told Republicans not to vote for because he didn’t want to give President Joe Biden a legislative win.

At a half-hour in, it was clear American voters and viewers were being treated to a real debate on the many issues facing the country. They shook hands, they looked at each other, and they were polite even as they disagreed. They acknowledged and apologized for past misstatements. “I’m a knucklehead at times,” Walz said at one point. Unlike the Trump-Harris debate, which delivered more style than substance, Vance and Walz wrangled over policies, priorities and plans.

While both running mates did their job in laying out their candidate’s vision, Vance won the debate. He showed more confidence and comfort on the stage. He’s a senator who has done a lot of TV appearances, and it showed.

Here are the big takeaways that helped Vance win the debate:

Vance and Walz focused on Americans

The vice presidential candidates focused more on the voters than the candidates. It was refreshing. It should be the norm, but it was a missing element in the presidential debate largely because Trump’s focus was frequently diverted.

They made pleas to middle-class workers, calling out teachers, nurses, truck drivers and others. They talked about the opioid crisis that American families have struggled with for more than a decade. They mourned an American dream out of reach.

Vance propped up the Trump tax cuts and boasted of an “economic boom” unlike any other the country has seen. Walz criticized Trump’s first term as a failure that led to high unemployment and a mismanaged pandemic.

Vance got the last zinger in, pointing out that Harris has been vice president during the worst inflation in about 40 years. Even one of the moderators pointed out that polls show voters trust Trump more on the economy.

Vance and Walz debate the border crisis

The Ohio senator said Trump would deport migrants who are in the country illegally, starting with those who have committed crimes. Then, their administration would focus on making it “harder for illegal aliens to undercut the wages of American workers,” Vance said. “A lot of people will go home if they can’t work for less than minimum wage in our own country.”

Walz recalled Vance’s false claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio — a controversy that began with Trump’s wild rhetoric. “I believe Senator Vance wants to solve this. But by standing with Donald Trump and not working together to find a solution, it becomes a talking point,” Walz said. “And when it becomes a talking point like this, we dehumanize and villainize other human beings.”

VP candidates talk about gun violence

The new school year brought more school shootings, including in Maryland. Vance and Walz disagreed on how to address it.

“We have to increase security in our schools,” Vance said. “We have to make the doors lock better, make the doors stronger, make the windows stronger.” He also blamed shootings on illegal guns moving across the border, though data shows most guns used in mass shootings were obtained legally — often in red states with weak gun laws.

Walz tried to reemphasize a talking point he and Harris have stressed on the campaign trail: They’re not taking guns away. He even talked about pheasant hunting. But he does support an assault weapons ban. Mental health is too often demonized, he said, and sometimes the guns are the problem.

Abortion a top debate between Vance and Walz

While the running mates debated reproductive rights, Trump said in all caps on Truth Social that he does not support a federal abortion ban.

On an issue where Democrats gain voters, Walz shared stories about women across the country whose health has been at risk in states with abortion bans. He talked about women desperately driving across state lines, and sometimes across the country, for medical care.

Vance acknowledged that Republicans need to earn Americans’ trust back. He called for policies that enable women to afford children and raise families.

Vance and Walz talk democracy

The best moment for Walz came at the end of the debate, when he blasted Trump for not conceding the 2020 election he lost. “A president’s words matter … This has got to stop. It’s tearing our country apart.”

Walz asked Vance if Trump lost the election, and Vance deflected, claiming Harris is censoring people on social media.

Though it was Walz’s best moment, it came at the end of the debate when the largest audience had probably tuned out. Unfortunately for Walz, Vance had a strong start in prime time.

Candy Woodall is the opinion editor at The Baltimore Sun. She wants to read your thoughts on the debate and can be reached at cwoodall@baltsun.com.