Democratic candidate Tim Walz of Minnesota had a shaky showing in his lone debate, while former president Donald Trump is making gains in Pennsylvania; Vice President Kamala Harris may come to regret not selecting Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania as her running mate.

No wiggle room from Harris's campaign In front of the 43 million viewers, Walz proved to Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) why Harris picked him by winning their discussion, as The Washington Examiner reported.

Although election analysts are favoring Vance due to his smooth campaigning, some are openly questioning if Harris would have fared better in November if Shapiro had been her running mate.

Post-Debate Report

Election expert Dave Wasserman of Cook Political Report says that it's a good thing that vice presidential debates don't count as much as presidential ones because Walz blew opportunities that a more capable candidate like Shapiro could have taken advantage of.

“There are more than a few Democratic strategists who would feel more confident in their chances had Harris picked Shapiro, or perhaps even [Kentucky Gov. Andy] Beshear,” Wasserman told the Washington Examiner.

“Both Shapiro and Beshear have more pragmatic reputations because they served in states with Republican legislatures, whereas Walz has had a Democratic trifecta in Minnesota.”

The state of Pennsylvania, which has 19 electoral votes this year and could decide the election, is one in which Harris is attempting to win over independents and more moderate Democrats who may have supported President Joe Biden in 2020.

Trump's Lead

Real Clear Politics reports that Trump maintains an average three-point lead in Pennsylvania.

Waltz, according to Wasserman, may have won over liberal Democrats with his debate performance in Minnesota, but he missed an opportunity to "press the case against Trump, or talking about some of the national priorities that would make him seem fit for the stage" by not doing so.

“If Pennsylvania ends up being the decisive state and she loses it by a point, absolutely,” there could be buyer’s remorse, he said.

“She clearly made a pick with personal compatibility in mind, and so did Trump, but it was not the pick that necessarily optimizes her chances of winning the election, and in an exceptionally tight race, plenty of Democrats are very concerned about that.”

More Polling

Nearly 60% of Pennsylvanians who are eligible to vote "strongly approve" or "somewhat approve" of Shapiro, according to a poll conducted last month by the Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Times, and Siena College.

In comparison, 51% provided the same response about Harris and 45% about Trump, with a third of likely Trump voters perceiving Shapiro favorably.

In contrast to Walz, who stumbled out of the gate and didn't appear to shake his nerves until the final minutes of the debate, Vance had a smoother delivery from the start of the debate when he took the time to share personal details about his upbringing from his Hillbilly Elegy memoir.

Walz has mostly shied away from taking questions from journalists, in contrast to Vance who has done so regularly since becoming Trump's running mate this summer.

He seemed particularly rusty when, after initially denying seeing the 1989 demonstrations at Tiananmen Square, he finally admitted that he "misspoke."