WASHINGTON, D.C. — Before becoming vice presidential nominees, both JD Vance and Tim Walz served in Congress. For lawmakers who worked with them and know the candidates personally, the debate is a chance to highlight their strengths to a national audience.

Lawmakers who know Vance said they expected a solid performance from the Ohio senator.

“I fully expect Senator Vance to mop the absolute floor with Governor Walz,” said Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio. “I don't know if I can expect any highs and lows, but I do have full confidence in the ability of Senator Vance, who is a very good debater and very cerebral, to go ahead and be effective when it comes to Governor Walz and especially his policies.”

Former Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan is the last person to have debated Vance. The two competed in the 2020 Ohio Senate race, which Vance went on to win. Ryan said Vance’s strong debate skills have further benefitted from his two months as former President Donald Trump’s running mate.

“He's been on TV a ton, too, and has done tough interviews, too. So I think he's grown a lot since we debated a couple years ago,” Ryan said.

Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, said he wanted Vance to use his skills to focus on policies that could help both individuals and the country as a whole. He also said he wanted to hear from Walz, writing in a statement,

“I would also like to know why Tim Walz misled me about his military rank. I’ve always been disappointed that he voted against the very bipartisan MISSION Act, which expanded healthcare for our veterans.”

The MISSION Act, which was signed into law in 2018, allows veterans to receive healthcare from community providers when the needed services are not available or accessible from the VA medical system. Walz wrote in 2018 that he voted against the bill because he was concerned forcing the VA to pay for community medical services would eat into funding for VA medical services.

Democrats said Walz should use his plainspoken style to convey his message, regardless of any jabs that may come during the debate.

“I think it's important for the American people to understand exactly what Harris’ laws will do for the economy, their plans for the middle-class people, and that Vance and Trump will waste trillions more on tax giveaways to billionaires and big corporations,” said Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio.

This is the only scheduled debate between the Trump and Harris campaigns before the election, with both campaigns trying to win over undecided voters heading into early voting.