Comparing Tim Kaine’s debate with Mike Pence in 2016, the Wall Street Journal notes that Pence is not to be underestimated,

What one observer called Mr. Kaine’s “over-caffeinated” style, the Times article suggested, had backfired against Mr. Pence’s Hoosier imperturbability. “Commentators and critics said Mr. Pence successfully played defense for 90 minutes, dodging, denying and ultimately appearing more stately as he handled an unenviable challenge with remarkable steadiness.”

Donald Trump biographer and Bloomberg editor Tim O’Brien said in an interview on MSNBC’s “AM Joy” program with host Maria Teresa Kumar,

You know, he is very calm on a debate stage, he knows how to talk soothingly into a microphone because he is a former radio host, and I think they shouldn’t underestimate his presence on a debate stage, I think he was very effective against Senator Kaine in 2016.