On Tuesday, we will see the one and only vice presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle. Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) will engage Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). It likely will be the last direct interaction between the campaigns, as an additional presidential debate seems highly unlikely.

Over the course of history, vice presidential interactions don’t tend to make much of a difference. The first vice presidential debate took place in 1976, when Jimmy Carter’s running mate, Walter Mondale, squared off against Bob Dole, who ran with President Gerald Ford. It likely did not move the needle either way.