Vance said it's "really rich" for Democratic leaders to say Trump is a unique threat to democracy, saying Democrats protested the results of 2016 election.

"Hillary Clinton, in 2016, said that Donald Trump had the election stolen by Vladimir Putin because the Russians bought, like, $500,000 worth of Facebook ads," he said. "If we want to say that we need to respect the results of the election, I'm on board. But if we want to say, as Tim Walz is saying, that this is just a problem that Republicans have had, I don't buy that."

In response, Walz said, "Jan. 6 was not Facebook ads."

As Walz continued to criticize Vance for not condemning the Jan. 6 attacks and refusing to say if he would accept the 2024 election, he brought up Vance's predecessor, former Vice President Mike Pence.

"When Mike Pence made that decision to certify that election, that's why Mike Pence isn't on this stage," Walz said.

"What I'm concerned about is where is the firewall with Donald Trump? Where is the firewall if he knows, he could do anything, including taking an election, and his vice president's not going to stand to it. That's what we're asking you, America."

Vance was asked if he would challenge this year's election results even if they were certified by every state leader. He did not rule it out.

Vance said he believed "we should debate about those issues peacefully in the public square."

Walz said that was "troubling."

"When this is over, we need to shake hands this election and the winner needs to be the winner," Walz said. "This has got to stop. It's tearing our country apart."

Childcare came up in the debate and Walz touted his state's paid parental leave and medical leave policies.

Walz said that the time offered to parents should be negotiable.

"We're saying is the economy works best when it works for all of us. And so a paid family medical leave program, and I will tell you, go to the families or go to the businesses and ask them, as far as child care on this, you have to take it at both the supply and the demand side," he said.

Vance agreed that parents need help, but stressed that they need more choices.

The senator then defended Trump's comments about child care not being expensive and focused on Trump's policies to cut taxes and bring jobs back from overseas.

"It's so expensive right now ... because you've got way too few people providing this very essential service," he said.