Tim Walz and JD Vance to Face Off in VP Debate on October 1

Washington — The upcoming vice presidential debate, organized by CBS News, is scheduled for October 1 in New York City, featuring Democratic Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota and Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio. Both candidates have confirmed their participation.

This event will be moderated by Norah O’Donnell, the anchor and managing editor of “CBS Evening News,” alongside Margaret Brennan, the moderator of “Face the Nation” and CBS News’ chief foreign affairs correspondent.

At a meeting on Wednesday, CBS News proposed four possible dates for the debate: September 17, September 24, October 1, and October 8. The campaign for Walz quickly agreed to the October 1 date.

In a statement on social media, Walz expressed enthusiasm, stating, “See you on October 1, JD.” He added that he looks forward to the debate, contingent upon Vance’s attendance.

The following day, Vance publicly accepted CBS’s invitation for the October debate and also expressed interest in participating in a CNN debate on September 18. On social media, he emphasized the public’s right to multiple debates, referencing that former President Trump had already challenged Vice President Kamala Harris to three debates.

“I not only accept the CBS debate on October 1st, but I also accept the CNN debate on September 18th as well. I look forward to seeing you at both!” Vance posted.

During an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Wednesday night, Vance acknowledged his willingness to debate Walz on October 1, but he did not give a definitive commitment to the date at that moment.

“We’re certainly going to debate Tim Walz. We just heard about this thing three hours ago, so we’re going to talk to them and figure out when we can debate,” he said. Vance also conveyed his desire for a debate format that promotes an engaging exchange of ideas, as opposed to a “fake debate” lacking a live audience or proper parameters.

Vance expressed eagerness to engage in multiple debates with Walz, stressing the importance of allowing the American public to see a comprehensive discussion of their respective views.

Regarding the timeline for the vice presidential debate, discussions had been ongoing since spring when CBS News initially invited the candidates. In May, President Biden’s campaign indicated that then-Vice President Kamala Harris was open to a debate against her eventual Republican counterpart on potential dates in July or August.

Former President Trump selected Vance as his running mate on July 15 during the Republican National Convention. However, his campaign hesitated to confirm a debate against Harris prior to the Democratic National Convention, citing the uncertain political landscape at that time.

Following Biden’s withdrawal from the race on July 21, which came after a disappointing performance in his debate against Trump, Harris rapidly secured the support necessary to ascend to the top of the Democratic ticket. She officially selected Walz as her vice presidential candidate last week, finalizing the slate for both parties.

Recently, Trump commented on CBS hosting the vice presidential debate, praising Vance as “doing a fantastic job” and expressing his willingness to engage in three debates with Harris in September, facilitated by various networks. Meanwhile, the Harris campaign has committed to one debate so far, scheduled for September 10 on ABC.

This election cycle marks the first since 1988 in which debates are not organized by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. Following accusations of bias during the 2020 debates between Biden and Trump, the Republican National Committee voted to bar GOP nominees from participating in commission-hosted events.

As a result, networks are now negotiating directly with presidential campaigns regarding debate dates and conditions. CNN has already hosted the first debate of the cycle between Biden and Trump, a departure from traditional scheduling practices that allows other networks to broadcast the event.