Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance have agreed to debate each other on Oct. 1, setting up a matchup of potential vice presidents as early voting in some states gets underway for the general election. CBS News on Wednesday posted on its X feed that the network had invited both Vance and Walz to debate in New York City, presenting four possible dates — Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 — as options.
Quick Read
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance have agreed to a vice presidential debate on October 1, hosted by CBS News in New York City, as announced by the network.
- The debate will provide voters with a direct comparison of the vice-presidential candidates as early voting begins in some states for the general election.
- Walz confirmed his participation via social media, while Vance accepted the invitation and suggested an additional debate on September 18, possibly hosted by CNN.
- The debate between Walz and Vance follows the recent confirmation of a top-of-the-ticket debate between Trump and Harris, set for September 10 on ABC News.
- Discussions about potential additional debates on other networks, including Fox News and NBC News, are ongoing, with possible dates being September 4 and September 25, respectively.
The Associated Press has the story:
Vance and Walz agree to a vice presidential debate on Oct. 1 hosted by CBS News
Newslooks- COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) —
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance have agreed to debate each other on Oct. 1, setting up a matchup of potential vice presidents as early voting in some states gets underway for the general election. CBS News on Wednesday posted on its X feed that the network had invited both Vance and Walz to debate in New York City, presenting four possible dates — Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 — as options.
Walz reposted that message from his own campaign account, “See you on October 1, JD.” The Harris-Walz campaign followed up with a message of its own, saying Walz “looks forward to debating JD Vance — if he shows up.”
Vance posted on X that he would accept the Oct. 1 invitation. He also challenged Walz to meet on Sept. 18.
Officials with the Kamala Harris-Walz campaign did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Vance’s acceptance of the earlier debate that he said would be on CNN or whether Walz would participate in that one as well.
Representatives for CNN did not immediately return messages seeking comment as to whether Walz had accepted the Sept. 18 invitation, when it was extended, or whether other dates had been proposed for a debate on the cable network.
Whether or not Walz and Vance would debate before the Nov. 5 general election had been in question. In just the past several weeks, President Joe Biden left the campaign, Democrats selected Harris to lead their ticket.
Vance has largely kept his focus trained on Harris, whom he would have been set to debate before Biden’s departure from the race. Vance has lobbed critiques against Walz, including questioning the retired Army National Guardsman’s service record.
Former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, has said he wanted Vance to debate Walz on CBS, which had been discussing potential dates for that meeting.
The debate is expected weeks after the Sept. 10 top-of-the-ticket debate recently solidified between Trump and Harris on ABC News.
Trump has said he negotiated several other debate dates, on three different networks. Fox News has also proposed a debate between Harris and Trump to take place on Sept. 4, and NBC News is angling to air one on Sept. 25.
During an appearance in Michigan, Harris said she was “happy to have that conversation” about an additional debate.
