The highs and lows from Mike Pence's VP debate performance against Tim Kaine

Impact

On Tuesday, Republicans on Twitter largely cheered Mike Pence's performance at the vice presidential debate against Hillary Clinton's running mate Tim Kaine. During the hour-and-a-half-long debate, the Indiana governor vigorously defended Donald Trump and frequently denied Kaine's attacks on the Republic ticket. 

The economy, race relations, immigration and terrorism were central themes at the debate. From the start, conservatives said Pence was effective in bringing up anti-Clinton talking points. He consistently pivoted off questions from moderator Elaine Quijano into attacks on Clinton and Kaine. 

Early in the debate, Pence was praised on Twitter while conservatives said they thought Kaine came off as too aggressive. 

Early in the debate, Pence was asked to respond to the New York Times story which said Trump may have avoided paying federal income taxes for 18 years. Pence said Trump followed the law and took appropriate deductions. 

And while Kaine attempted to stay on the offensive, his interruptions may have annoyed some voters. Meanwhile, Pence benefitted.

When the conversation at the debate table turned to policing and race relations, conservatives loved the theme of his response: police should be respected.

Pence's repeated rhetoric used to attack Clinton was praised as effective by conservative pundits.

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