The United States’ vice-presidential candidates Tim Kaine (top left) and Mike Pence (top right) took on each other at their debate in Farmille Virginia on Tuesday night (local time). They soon launched into taking down their opponent’s running mate while backing their own candidate.

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Kaine, who is junior senator of Virginia, early on in the debate said he trusted his running mate Hillary Clinton with his son’s life, while the idea of Donald Trump as president “scares us to death”. He added he was proud to be running alongside a “history-making woman”. If elected, Clinton will be the country's first female president.

One of the first remarks Republican vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence made was that the Clinton was responsible for “the situation in Syria” today. The Indiana senator then attacked her policies with regard to terrorism and the Islamic State group. He also held her responsible for ruining the US economy.

Democratic candidate Kaine began criticising Trump early in the debate and said he could not believe the “insult-driven campaign that Trump has run”. “There is a fundamental respect issue here...Trump has called Mexicans rapists and criminals...He’s called women slobs, pigs, dogs...attacked a federal judge”.

The two exchanged barbs over other issues such as Republican presidential candidate Trump not paying taxes, law enforcement, law and order problems, immigration, foreign policy (specifically US-Russia, North Korea and the Syrian crisis), and abortion. A poll conducted by CNN/ORC showed that 48% of voters who watched the debate favoured Pence's performance, while 42% preferred Kaine.

This was the only debate the vice-presidential candidates will have during their campaign. The presidential candidates took on each other at a debate on September 26, where reports said Democrat Hillary Clinton outdid her rival, Donald Trump. The next presidential debate is on Monday, October 10.