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NEW YORK (AP) — In a debate that evoked a calmer era in American politics, Tim Walz and JD Vance went against their fellow campaigners Tuesday, seeking to shore up their campaigns’ vulnerabilities at a time of renewed fears of a regional war Middle East and mourning the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, and Vance, a Republican senator from Ohio, focused many of their criticisms on the top of the ballot, as is common in vice-presidential debates. They all pointed to the current crises as reasons for voters to choose Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump.

The debate came in the final weeks of a campaign marked by harsh, personal attacks and historic shocks, including one candidate dropping out and another facing two assassination attempts. Polls have shown Harris and Trump in a tight contest as early voting begins across the country, giving added weight to everything that can sway voters on the margins, including the impression made by the vice presidential candidates.

Despite the milder tone of the debate, there were still glimpses of the political fractures that threaten American democracy. Vance talked about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and reiterated Trump’s election denial by refusing to acknowledge that President Joe Biden won the 2020 race.

But for much of the rest of the evening, two Midwesterners struck a much friendlier tone than the Trump-Harris face-off — or the Trump-Biden showdown earlier this year, before he dropped out of the race after a disastrous performance.

In a raw moment, when Walz said his teenage son witnessed a shooting at a community center, Vance expressed sympathy.

“I’m sorry for that. Christ have mercy,” Vance said.

“I appreciate that,” Walz said.

In other parts of the debate, Vance tried to soften his image by limiting his typically forceful and aggressive delivery and acknowledging that viewers might not agree with him or Trump. He discussed Trump’s ideas brilliantly but avoided committing to the more controversial aspects of the former president’s career. His appearance immediately thrilled the Trump campaign and many of its allies.

Walz portrayed Trump as a madman on these issues and a chaotic leader. He occasionally stumbled over his words and even said, “I’ve become friends with school shooters” when discussing a meeting with survivors. He made several points sure to please Democrats, including on abortion rights and democracy – although he never used the word “weird,” the brand he attached to Trump and Vance that brought him national prominence.

The debate began with a discussion of the Middle East, where Israeli forces are fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran has fired missiles at Israel. In Gaza, Israeli forces continue to fight Hamas following the October 7 attack.

“The fundamental thing here is that stable leadership is important,” said Walz. “And the world saw on that debate stage a few weeks ago that an almost 80-year-old Donald Trump talking about crowd size is not what we need in this moment.”

Vance argued in his response that Trump was an intimidating figure whose presence on the international stage was its own deterrent.

“Governor. “Walz can criticize Donald Trump’s tweets, but effective, smart diplomacy and peace through strength are the way to restore stability to a very broken world,” he said.

Both men acknowledged past missteps

The role of a vice presidential candidate is typically to act as an attack dog for the person at the top of the ticket and to argue on stage against the opposing presidential candidate and his surrogate. Both Vance and Walz have accepted this role.

But in a political era where apologies are rare, Walz and Vance each acknowledged missteps and vulnerabilities on Tuesday.