I didn't like Donald Trump's choice for vice president when I first saw that he had chosen Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

In July, during the Republican National Convention, I posted on X that Vance was an "awful pick for VP," who wouldn't reach voters who were unsure about Trump. I thought he'd come across as too zealous.

Boy, was I wrong. And I've never been happier to be wrong.

After Tuesday night's debate against Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, all I could think was, forget Trump: I want Vance and his vision for America.

Voters should, too.

Usually, vice presidential debates are a yawn fest. Nobody pays them much mind. But not this time.

Thanks to how poorly both former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris did during their debate last month, the bar to exceed expectations was low. Vance greatly surpassed what I expected of him. Heck, even Walz did too, though Vance was the clear winner.

Kind, substantive, but at times lethal with his responses, Vance cut through Walz's rhetoric. With empathy, he often admitted that the problems the CBS News' moderators presented were nuanced, that his opponent likely agreed with him on this basis, but that their solutions were different.

Opinion poll:Who won the vice president debate? We want to hear from you.

Whether it was about the economy, immigration or even school shootings and gun control, both candidates seemed thoughtful, calm and interested more in an actual policy debate than name-calling, flip-flopping or obfuscating (with a couple exceptions).

Because of the awful rhetoric we've heard from Trump since 2015,........

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