Vance and Walz to face off in US vice presidential debate: What you need to know | 2024 US Election News
Tim Walz and JD Vance face off this week in the first – and possibly only – United States vice presidential debate before the November election.
Walz and Vance will take to the floor in New York on Tuesday evening as the race prepares for its final stretch before Election Day.
Walz, the governor of Minnesota, was nominated by fellow Democrat Kamala Harris in August.
Vance – a senator from Ohio – has been nominated as Republican vice presidential nominee Donald Trump as the Republican Party convenes for its national convention in July.
Since then, both vice presidential candidates have been criss-crossing the country, holding rallies and town hall meetings as they try to woo voters.
Tuesday’s debate will give them another chance to put forward their policy and try to give their sides momentum in what is expected to be a tough vote on November 5.
Here’s what you need to know about the event.
See you on October 1st, JD.
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) August 14, 2024
What is the time and where is the debate?
The debate will begin at 9pm local time in New York City on Tuesday (01:00 GMT on Wednesday). It will run for 90 minutes.
Who can moderate the debate?
Hosted by CBS News, the debate will be moderated by CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan, host of the network’s Face the Nation program.
What are the rules of debate?
Like the presidential debates in the 2024 election cycle, there will be no audience for the vice presidential debate.
“Candidates, who cannot bring pre-written notes or stage props, will have two minutes to answer a question and two minutes to respond. They will be allowed one minute to object. At the president’s discretion, the candidates may get an extra minute to continue the discussion,” explained CBS News.
The candidates’ microphones will not be muted when their opponent speaks, but the network said it “reserves the right” to turn it off.
Who are the VP candidates?
On the Republican side, the 40-year-old Vance first gained national attention with his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which detailed the challenges he faced growing up in the Appalachia region of the US.
A graduate of Yale Law School, he was elected to the US Senate in 2022 and has become one of the strongest champions of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda, particularly on trade, foreign policy and immigration.
Vance has drawn some media attention since accepting Trump’s presidency, particularly for his disparaging remarks about childless women, and for spreading false rumors about Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating people’s pets.
On the Democratic side, Walz was recognized for his humanitarian and social policies.
A US military veteran and former teacher, he was first elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and won a second term four years later. Prior to that, Walz served in the US House of Representatives for 12 years, representing a large rural district in southern Minnesota.
In his last six years as governor, he has approved programs to cover college tuition for low-income students, implemented free breakfast and lunch in public schools, legalized recreational marijuana for adults and expanded worker protections. Trump’s campaign described him as a “dangerous liberal” for his progressive policies.
Kamala Harris calls anyone racist when she complains about her open border.
You are not a bad person for wanting to stop the flow of illegal immigration and deadly fentanyl.
Americans who want a secure border have nothing to be ashamed of, but Kamala Harris sure does. pic.twitter.com/dztz9fy1Go
— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 23, 2024
What issues might be discussed?
Like last month’s presidential debate between Harris and Trump, their partners are likely to be asked about key issues important to the American people such as immigration and the economy, among others.
Democrats have sought to paint the Trump-Vance ticket as a threat to democracy while calling the couple “strange”. Debate watchers saw Walz repeat this line of attack on Tuesday.
For his part, Vance has embraced Trump’s tough stance on immigration and accused Harris and his Democratic Party of embracing an “open borders” policy. He is likely to continue to contribute to immigration during the debate.
Abortion access is also likely to come up, as Vance and Trump were asked repeatedly during the campaign whether they would support a national ban on the procedure if elected.
What outcome would the debate have?
In general, the debates have little effect on how people will vote.
But as more than 67 million people prepare for September’s presidential showdown between Trump and Harris, the debates provide an opportunity for the candidates to sell themselves to the public.
However, the vice presidential debates are seen as fewer than the presidential debates, and therefore, fewer people sing.
“In most years since 1976, when the vice presidential candidates first held their debates, the running backs have been a close second in terms of viewership,” according to the Pew Research Center.
It noted that in 2020, just under 58 million people watched the debate between vice president Mike Pence and Kamala Harris — 8 percent less than the low-rated debate between Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden that year.
Still, a good – or bad – performance will grab the attention of the media, which dominates the US news cycle as the election race heats up.
How to watch the debate?
The debate will be broadcast on CBS. It will also be broadcast live on network platforms and other US media outlets.
