Sen. JD Vance is gearing up for next Tuesday’s vice presidential debate by preparing for two very different directions Gov. Tim Walz could take the exchange.
Vance and Walz don’t personally know each other, but Vance is using a stand-in for his opponent who is more than familiar with the Minnesota governor and his “Minnesota nice” style: Rep. Tom Emmer.
Emmer, the No. 3 House Republican who represents a district surrounding Minneapolis, has known Walz for more than a decade, with the two crossing paths in state politics even before they served in the House together at the start of Donald Trump’s presidency.