Although many of us are still psychically recovering from the recent presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump, it’s time to absorb the reality that the first (and likely only) vice presidential debate between Minnesota governor Tim Walz and Ohio senator J.D. Vance is just around the corner. Below, find everything you need to know about the two Midwestern lawmakers’ upcoming faceoff.
When and where is the debate?
The debate between Gov. Walz and Sen. Vance will take place in New York City on Tuesday, October 1, starting at 9 p.m. EST. Walz has already made it clear via X that he’s ready for the challenge:
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Who’s moderating?
CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell and Face the Nation moderator and CBS News foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan will team up to moderate Tuesday’s debate. Hopefully, there will be a star-making moderator moment like the one that ABC’s Linsey Davis enjoyed during Harris and Trump’s debate, but we’d also settle for the participants simply not talking over each other.
What format will the debate follow?
The rules for the debate are still in negotiation, but one thing that will separate Tuesday’s meeting from vice-presidential match-ups over the last 16 years is that both candidates will be standing at lecterns rather than seated.
What topics are likely to come up at the debate?
Walz and Vance are both fathers, which could yield a conversation about gender-affirming care for youth (which Walz has championed and Vance has, unsurprisingly, decried). For his part, military veteran Vance may go after Walz’s combat record, which he has openly questioned in the past; and it’s unlikely that we’ll get through the night without a reference to the issue of reproductive rights, a cornerstone of the Harris-Walz campaign.
In preparation for Tuesday’s meeting, Vance has reportedly been working with a team of advisers including his wife, trial lawyer Usha Vance, and Tom Emmer, who has represented Minnesota’s 6th congressional district since 2015 and served as majority whip in the House of Representatives since 2023. Walz, meanwhile, has used Transportation Secretary and onetime presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg as a stand-in for Vance.
How can I watch the debate?
The 90-minute debate will be broadcast live on CBS, but don’t despair, cord-cutters; you can still get your fix of democracy online by streaming the debate via CBS News 24/7 or Paramount+.
