JD Vance has a reputation for being informed, articulate and virtually unflappable. These qualities helped former President Donald Trump choose Vance as his running mate, and they will no doubt be on display when the Yale-educated U.S. Senator from Ohio meets Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz on the debate stage.

Vance’s 2022 Democratic opponent Tim Ryan says, “He’s a smart guy.” He will introduce a style honed by verbal jousting with a gauntlet of television journalists, but not one that resembles Trump’s.

Vance said on a call with reporters this week that he feels no pressure to do “anything similar” to the extensive debate preparation being done by Walz.

Still, Vance spent the past month reviewing debate plans, strategies and possible questions, according to a person familiar with his preparations who requested anonymity to discuss the strategy. In addition to the online sessions, most of that work took place at his home in Cincinnati – where his wife Ushaand Trump campaign strategist Jason Miller have joined members of his inner circle in grooming Vance.

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