More than 200 San Francisco Democrats filled their party’s headquarters this week to watch the vice presidential debate with only five weeks until Election Day.
U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, went head-to-head in a lively debate that could be the final one until voters must officially decide their pick for president on Nov. 5.
Members and affiliates of the San Francisco Democratic Party watched along with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, state Controller Malia Cohen and state Assemblymember Matt Haney, D-San Francisco.
They spoke ahead of the debate to motivate and fire up the crowd, of whom many are volunteering to campaign for former San Francisco district attorney and presidential candidate Kamala Harris by calling swing states.
“We have 35 days to elect a hometown hero as the next president, the first San Francisco Democrat to lead a ticket and the first San Francisco Democrat who’s going to be president of the United States,” Haney said. “Tonight, we’re also going to see on display a difference in vision for our country that could not be more sharp.”
Haney predicted that Vance would harp on immigration and reinforce statements that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said about Haitian migrants while debating Harris in August, accusing them of “eating the pets” of people living in Springfield, Ohio, where there is a significant population of immigrants from Haiti.
“On the other side, you hear nothing but exclusion and hate,” Haney said. “They find the most vulnerable people, pick on them and scapegoat them. They make up lies about them, like this nonsense about Haitians and immigrants. That’s the nonsense Vance is going to spew tonight.”
Watch partygoers gathered Tuesday night around multiple television screens, erupting in cheers for Walz’s responses and shaking their heads when Vance spoke.
While Vance did not restate Trump’s controversial statement on Haitian migrants, he did point to immigration in many of his answers. For example, when asked about curbing school shootings, Vance said that the guns used in school shootings come across the border from Mexico illegally.
“While we’re on that topic, we know that thanks to Kamala Harris’ open border, we’ve seen a massive influx in the number of illegal guns run by the Mexican drug cartels,” Vance said.
Roz Romney, a longtime volunteer for the San Francisco Democratic Party, was infuriated by Vance’s weaving around questions to refocus on immigration.
“He’d get asked a question about abortion, and then go, ‘well, first of all, blah blah blah immigrants blah blah,’ trying to skirt around the question,” she said. “And he was good at it. It was making me a little frustrated.”
During a break halfway through the debate, audience members rejoined to listen to Bonta’s thoughts.
“Thank you for showing up to support incredible Governor Walz. Our joyful warrior, our earnest uncle, as he takes on J.D. Vance. From what we just saw, Vance is just straight up weird,” Bonta said. “He’s a hypocrite and we know we can’t trust what he says.”
(L-R) California Attorney General Rob Bonta and California State Assemblymember Matt Haney speaking at the San Francisco Democratic Party headquarters during a watch party for the Vice Presidential debate in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (Alise Maripuu/Bay City News)
At the conclusion of the debate, the crowd let out a roar of applause in response to Walz putting Vance on the spot about the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and Trump’s unwillingness to accept his loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Walz directly asked Vance, “Did he lose the 2020 election?”
“Tim, I’m focused on the future,” Vance said.
The audience scoffed at his response and noted that this answer solidified their choice in Harris and Walz.
“The fact that Vance refused to answer that was a clear moment, where finally he could not wriggle his way out of that question,” Romney said.
Diane Tate, a volunteer for the San Francisco Democratic Party, jumped up and down in excitement and cheer at the end of the debate. She also emphasized the importance of the final back-and-forth between Vance and Walz regarding Jan. 6.
“I thought he was able to show his humanity and his approachability, which is critical for voters. He was excellent tonight.”
Diane Tate, SF Democratic Party volunteer , on Tim Walz’s debate performance
“When they talked about Jan. 6 at the end, their answers made it perfectly clear what our choice was,” Tate said. “Vance’s response was miserable and cringy when he couldn’t even answer whether Trump lost or not.”
Tate was among several audience members who walked away from the debate confident in Walz’s performance.
“I thought he was able to show his humanity and his approachability, which is critical for voters,” she said. “He was excellent tonight.”