Mike Pence was the calm, cool and collected one Tuesday night when he and Tim Kaine took the Longwood University stage in Farmville, Va. for their first and only vice presidential debate.
Both candidates had the same mission: make the case for their running mates and avoid any major missteps that could take their campaigns off-course. In both cases, mission accomplished.
But. If I had to grade their performances purely on who probably attracted more undecideds -- and this is NOT scientific, it's based on a gut feeling -- I would give Pence an A- and Kaine a C+.
The always-measured Pence never once sounded like his running mate. Even normally way-left CNN later called it "refreshing."
Time after time Democrat Kaine tried furiously to get a rise out of Pence, challenging him to defend some of Donald Trump's eye-popping statements during the campaign. Pence refused to take the bait. Not until the very end of the 90 minutes did the Indiana governor lose his cool.
For example, Kaine referenced the Bible, using a familiar quip from the campaign trail: "From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks."
It's a paraphrase of Matthew 15:18. Kaine used it to condemn Trump's comments that he wanted to "punish" women who get abortions and Trump’s characterization of Mexican immigrants as “rapists."
Pence's response: "Senator, you've whipped out that Mexican thing again." Not a great answer, but it's probably the only place he came unstuck all night.
Throughout the debate, moderator Elaine Quijano of CBSN struggled to keep control of candidates interrupting each other or hogging the clock.
Kaine tried hard to establish Hillary Clinton's trustworthiness. He said he trusts Clinton so much that he trusts her with the life of his son, who is in the military. He also made the argument Clinton can be trusted because of her record, because she has maintained similar priorities -- supporting women and families, especially -- throughout her career.
Pence tried to paint Clinton and the Obama administration first and foremost as foreign policy bunglers. He called Vladimir Putin the “small and bullying leader of Russia.” He was tough on Russia. Aggressive on foreign policy. Hawkish on debt.
Pence may have soothed some Trump supporters who stand with the GOP candidate but cringe at some of the blunt and combative things he says. And this is why I gave him an A- and a shout-out for the win.
Certainly, strong social conservatives who felt abandoned before Tuesday night feel better today and pro-choice advocates feel worse. While Kaine, a devout Roman Catholic, spoke up for keeping Roe vs. Wade intact, Pence made an impassioned speech for preserving life and working to end abortion.
Trump, incidentally, promised to live-tweet the debate and certainly was active on Twitter. Mostly, though, he re-tweeted other accounts rather than offering his own commentary.
The overarching message was clear: Throughout, Trump pushed the spiel that Pence was winning. "Pence is so prepared! He did his homework to outperform Kaine," one account Trump re-tweeted declares. Another re-tweeted account adds: "Loving @mike_pence he's so likeable and sensible. Kaine is just talking bull!"
Clinton was tweeting, too. Her main message? "Mike Pence: a divisive, anti-woman, anti-LGBT, anti-worker extremist. ... No wonder Trump picked him."
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
