After last week’s record-breaking presidential debate, with more than 84 million views, the eyes will now be on the vice presidential candidates. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) will debate Gov. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) in a format that will include nine segments that will be 10 minutes each.
Questions will cover broad array of topics, including women’s rights, the economy and higher education policies.
Before the debate, here are a few positions that both vice presidential candidates have stated or supported over their political careers.
Women’s rights
Kaine has supported abortion rights for women while he was governor and senator of Virginia despite his personal opposition to abortion for religious beliefs.
“I support the right of women to make their own health and reproductive decisions,” Kaine said on his website. “We all share the goal of reducing unwanted pregnancies and abortions. The right way to do this is through education and access to health care and contraception rather than by restricting and criminalizing women's reproductive decisions.”
Kaine co-sponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act in 2015 amending federal law and limiting when employers can pay differently to “bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience.” This bill was introduced on March 15, 2015, but has yet to move forward for further debate.
Kaine co-sponsored the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which was signed into law by President Obama on March 7, 2013. The law amended the VAWA of 1994 to expand definitions relating to "personally identifying information or personal information" with respect to a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking.
Pence opposes abortion rights for women and has said Planned Parenthood of Indiana should be investigated for its trafficking of human remains and its general health practices.
"Every Hoosier should be deeply troubled by allegations that Planned Parenthood affiliates are engaged in the trafficking of human remains,” Pence said in a release. “If true, this is not only illegal, it is morally reprehensible. Whatever one’s view on the issue of abortion, Hoosiers can be assured that we will make certain that this appalling practice is not taking place in Indiana."
In 2011, when he was a member of the United States House of Representatives, Pence introduced the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act. The goal of the law was to “amend title X of the Public Health Service Act to prohibit family planning grants from being awarded to any entity that performs abortions, and for other purposes.”
The bill never went to committee and died in the 112th Congress.
With regard to equal pay, Pence voted against the eventually enacted Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. This law states the 180-day statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit regarding pay discrimination resets with each new paycheck affected by that discriminatory action
Pence was not a member of Congress when the VAWA of 2013 was enacted, but he did vote yes on a similar vote on the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012. The bill was an earlier draft of the VAWA 2013 bill and would pass the House, but failed to get through the Senate.
The economy
Kaine has spoken about his tenure as governor of Virginia as a key prop for his economic experience. He cites his success with helping Virginia maintain one of the lowest unemployment rates during the Great Recession. The rate stayed below 8 percent throughout his entire tenure with the national average being between 9 to 10 percent in 2009.
“I also support giving minimum-wage workers in Virginia a raise and a chance at economic mobility, because no family working full time should live under the poverty level,” Kaine said on his Senate website. “Additionally, I have strongly supported the extension of emergency unemployment insurance benefits because it strengthens our economy and protects Virginians who are looking for jobs and trying to get back to work.”
Kaine helped introduce legislation in 2015 to raise the federal minimum wage to $12 by 2020 when representing Virginia in the U.S. Senate. The Raise the Wage Act would start the minimum wage at $8 once enacted and then add a $1 to the wage annually until it would reach its goal. The bill has been referred to committee, but it has not reviewed, debated or voted on by either house.
Pence started his governorship at the beginning of 2013. Since then, the unemployment rate of Indiana has dropped from 8.4 percent to 5.4 percent as of April 2015. Indiana also had the third largest professional and business services employment increase in the nation only behind California and Tennessee.
“We are home to an affordable, low-tax business climate that ranks first in the Midwest and fifth overall, supporting job creators in every corner of the state,” Pence said in a facebook post.
Pence has opposed minimum wage increases and voted against raising the federal minimum wage to $7.25 in 2007.
Pence introduced the Tax Relief Certainty Act of 2011 when he was still a representative in the House. The act would have permanently extend the 2001 and 2003 tax relief provisions, permanently repeal the estate tax and provide permanent Alternative Minimum Tax relief.
Higher education
Kaine said in a speech at the University of Michigan that people of lower incomes should be allowed to have a free public college education. He also said both he and Clinton believe that families who earn less than $125,000 should be given free in-state college tuition.
“Many people don't see the ladder they can climb,” Kaine said. “We ought to guarantee as a nation that you can get out of college debt free. That seems bold, but other nations do it."
In the Senate, Kaine co-sponsored the Career and Technical Education Opportunity Act. This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 in order to expand the programs eligible to participate in federal student aid. This includes eligibility for Direct Loan program and Federal Perkins Loan program participation in programs that lead to an industry-recognized credential. The bill has just recently been introduced.
Kaine also has cited his governorship as another part of his commitment to improving the post-secondary education in the Commonwealth.
“I also championed a successful $2 billion higher-education construction bond package that built facilities colleges and universities across Virginia need to attract the best students and faculty,” Kaine said on his website.
Thirty-two percent of the bills Kaine has sponsored or introduced have been on issues relating to education, dealing with issues of teacher quality to awarding federal pell grants.
Pence started a new initiative in Indiana while he was governor that encourages adults to complete college degrees if they were unable to do so.
“We want to improve the quality of our workforce, and help put Hoosiers on a path to even greater success,” Pence said in a release. “To achieve this goal, it is imperative that we look beyond our K-12 pipeline. Our ‘You Can. Go Back.’ campaign will encourage a continuing education that helps working Hoosiers meet the qualifications of the fastest growing, high-wage jobs that will provide opportunity and improve lives.”
This was a measure brought up by Pence as the state of Indiana had a college completion rate of 29.5 percent as of 2014. This meaning that 29.5 percent of students, who go to college in Indiana, complete a four-year college degree on time.
The debate airs at 9 p.m. on Oct. 4 and will be moderated by Elaine Quijano of CBS News.
The University Programs Council, Student Council, UVAVotes, Black Student Alliance, College Republicans and University Democrats are also sponsoring a debate viewing in Newcomb Theater from 9 to 10:30 p.m.
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