I know 'Midwest Nice.' That doesn't excuse bad politics.

If you watched the debate Tuesday night and you’re from the Midwest, you might have recognized the kindness and empathy that you saw on stage between Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance. What you witnessed is otherwise known among locals as “Midwest Nice.”

Between the nods, smiles, handshakes and apologies, if you’re not from the Midwest, you might have been confused. Maybe you thought it was refreshing. Perhaps you thought the two vice presidential nominees were faking it, or that they were corny.

I don’t know either Vance or Walz personally, so I can’t attest to whether their demeanor was a façade, but as someone who grew up in Minnesota, their affable nature is common and often genuine.

Civility is something we’ve lacked in politics in recent years. It’s good to see it come back.

In fact, the idea that their debate seemed unusually civil is a testament to how bad things have gotten in politics in tone. But it really isn’t that rare in the Midwest.

My column: Forget Donald Trump. I want JD Vance's vision for America.

I spent my childhood in Minnesota, surrounded by people who would snow blow your driveway, share their Grandma’s Swedish Kringle recipe (this is where I order it now), and give you an extra stick of butter if you needed some for your Lefse .

As a young politico working for former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s reelection campaign, I accompanied him on fundraising events. The events were with the kind of people Walz mentioned Tuesday night – businessmen and women from Minnesota-based Fortune 500 companies.

Once, after a brief speech to donors at a home in Wayzata, I handed Pawlenty a sparkling water. The Republican governor turned to me and said, “What is this, Nicole? I really like it.”

I remember that small, ordinary exchange because Pawlenty was personal and humble. He also was kind, and if he was stressed as governor, he never let on.

The biggest difference between Pawlenty and Walz is that while both men seem gracious, Walz has steered Minnesota into becoming a progressive haven . That is also the most pivotal difference between Vance and Walz.

A few times Tuesday night, Walz leaned on his “Minnesota Nice” as an excuse for his progressive politics. High taxes, universal free school lunches and abortion without exceptions are all evidence of this mindset.

Kindness is not an excuse for bad politics, but it is nice to see a civil tone in politics again.

What did you think of the debate? Email me at nrussell@gannett.com .

Here's what else we're writing about this week:

• I was wrong about Vance. VP debate shows Republicans can win because of him.
• Abbott says Harris 'failed miserably' on border crisis. He's fixing it instead.
• Independent Hillsdale College is safe from intrusive Title IX regulations. For now.
• Trump lied about mail-in voting. Now the GOP is spending millions to fix his mess.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: I know 'Midwest Nice.' That doesn't excuse bad politics.