In past elections, vice presidential debates have carried little weight, but with former President Donald Trump’s declaration that there isn’t enough time for another presidential debate, this year’s sole meeting of the VP candidates could be significant.

“[Tim]Walz is going in with more to lose,” said Erin O’Brien, professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston. “Right now he’s America’s preferred dad. He’s the teacher and coach that all of us probably wanted. And [JD] Vance has been rudderless, you know, picking fights with people. But I think on October 1st, it’s going to be an environment that Vance is comfortable in.”

Messaging on the Trump and Vance campaign trails has also carried a staunch nativist, anti-immigrant theme, which Luis Jimenez, associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston, said has successfully mobilized voters toward the Republican candidate in the past.

“If you look at Trump from 2015 till now, his one true grievance, which really encompasses everything else, is immigration,” Jimenez said. “He began with ‘Mexicans are not sending their best’ and all of that. And since then, basically, he has just expanded. And so in part, it is a strength of his that nativism works, but it’s also his last card. He doesn’t really have much else.”

Meanwhile, the act of voting itself is under scrutiny. In Georgia, new laws give power to electorates to “certify” votes and will also require votes to be hand-counted. However, Jerold Duquette, professor of political science and director of the Public Policy and Management Concentration at Central Connecticut State University, said despite the worrying legislation, more attention on Georgia could actually ease anxieties.

“While, of course it’s a worrying situation, it’s an institutional rigging strategy that is happening in a fishbowl,” Duquette said. “It is being monitored very closely by the army of lawyers, from the Democrats, as well as the media. So, to be honest with you, I think that with that being the case, my level of worry isn’t quite as significant.”

In Massachusetts, Republican John Deaton is trying to unseat sitting Senator Elizabeth Warren, despite polls — and local journalists — claiming Warren will “tromp” Deaton in November. But conversation continues about the proposed ballot questions, particularly questions 1, 2 and 5.

Duquette states that Question 1, which would give the state auditor permission to audit the State Legislature, has a strong chance of passing simply because people do not understand the question itself.

O’Brien thinks Question 2, which would repeal the state requirement for students to pass the MCAS — the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System — in order to graduate, will pass, freeing students from a “high-pressure environment” brought on by the test.

Finally, Jimenez said Question 5, which would end “tipped” minimum wage and instead adopt state minimum wage laws for restaurant workers, is the ballot question he thinks most Bay Staters will support.

GUESTS

  • Luis Jiménez, associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts, Boston
  • Erin O’Brien, professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts, Boston
  • Jerold Duquette, professor of political science and director of the Public Policy and Management Concentration at Central Connecticut State University