Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will meet face to face this week in their first and only scheduled vice presidential debate, with the election just more than a month away.
Their matchup comes after former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris squared off in a debate moderated by ABC on Sept. 10.
Date & Time
The vice presidential debate will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 9 p.m. ET, at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.
“See you on October 1, JD,” Walz wrote in a post on X after agreeing to participate in the debate in August.
The Harris-Walz campaign said Walz “looks forward to debating JD Vance — if he shows up.”
Vance also confirmed on X that he accepted the Oct. 1 date.
The network in August offered both campaigns four choices for debate dates: Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, and Oct. 8.
Host Network, Moderators
CBS News will host the debate between Walz and Vance.
CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell and CBS News foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan will serve as debate moderators, according to the network.
Debate Rules
It is unclear what rules have been established for next week’s vice presidential debate.
If the rules align with the first two presidential debates, microphones will be muted when an opponent is speaking, there will be no live audience, and prepared notes will not be allowed.
Harris and Trump during the presidential debate had two minutes to answer questions, two minutes for rebuttals and an additional minute for follow-ups and clarifications. They were not allowed to ask each other questions.
Each nominee also had two minutes to deliver closing statements at the end of the debate. A coin toss was held prior to the debate to determine which nominee would have the final word.
Issues
Debate moderators are likely to ask questions about the economy, immigration, and abortion which have all emerged as key issues in the 2024 election.
Vance will likely target Walz over his military record after the governor claimed he served in a combat zone. Walz has since walked back on those comments but Vance has continued to criticize him over the remarks.
Vance will also likely link Harris to what he believes are the Biden administration’s failures over the past three and a half years.
On the other hand, Walz may highlight Vance’s “childless cat ladies” comments.
The Minnesota governor will also likely criticize Vance and Trump over reproductive rights and their recent controversial comments about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.
Debate Significance
While most voters are already decided, the VP debate could help influence moderate and undecided voters.
A new poll showed how Trump and Harris fare in three critical battleground states so far.
Harris leads Trump in Pennsylvania 48 to 47 percent. The vice president holds a slight lead in Michigan with 50 percent to Trump’s 45 percent. The two candidates are essentially tied in Wisconsin, with Harris at 48 percent and Trump at 47 percent, according to the Quinnipiac poll conducted Sept. 18.
“Three crucial swing states wave a red flag at the Trump campaign,” according to Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy. “The GOP’s most ‘go to’ attack strategies against Democrats on immigration and the economy may be losing momentum. Likely voters now see little daylight, in most cases, between Harris and Trump on who can best handle those key issues.”
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll published Tuesday shows Harris has a six-point lead over Trump, 46.61 to 40.48 percent.