Tim Walz and JD Vance will meet for their first and possibly only vice presidential debate Tuesday, in what could be the last debate for both campaigns to argue their case before the election.
The debate in New York hosted by CBS News will give Vance, a Republican freshman senator from Ohio, and Walz, a two-term Democratic governor of Minnesota, the chance to introduce themselves, make the case for their running mates, and go on the attack against the opposing ticket.
Tuesday’s matchup could have an outsized impact. Polls have shown Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump locked in a close contest, giving added weight to anything that can sway voters on the margins, including the impression left by the vice presidential candidates. It also might be the last debate of the campaign, with the Harris and Trump teams failing to agree on another meeting.
Here's what to know about Tuesday's debate.
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What time is the debate tonight?
The debate will be 90 minutes long and begins at 6 p.m. PST on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
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"CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan of CBS’ “Face the Nation" will moderate the debate.
VP debate live updates: Vance and Walz to face off tonight in New York
Where to watch the VP debate: Channel, streaming and more
NBC 7 will offer a live feed of the debate both in the player above and also on air Tuesday night beginning at 6 p.m.
NBC News will broadcast the full debate live, and will offer extensive primetime coverage around the event.
Viewers can watch the debate live on their local NBC station or via the NBC 7 San Diego streaming channel, which is available 24/7 and free of charge across nearly every online video platform, including Peacock, YouTube, Samsung TV Plus and on smartphones and smart TVs.
Where is the debate?
The vice-presidential debate will be in New York City.
Often the scene of fundraising events for candidates in both parties, New York has been considered a reliably Democratic state in the general election. But Trump, a native New Yorker, has insisted he has a chance to put it in the Republican column this year, despite losing the state in his two earlier bids for the presidency, and has held events in the South Bronx and on Long Island.
VP debate rules: Will there be fact-checking?
CBS announced Friday that it will be up to the candidates to keep each other honest at Tuesday’s debate — a sticking point from earlier debates this year.
In the June debate between Trump and Biden, CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash limited follow-up questions and did not fact check either participant. In the September debate between Trump and Harris, ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis interjected with matter-of-fact corrections to some of Trump’s most glaring misstatements.
Other debate rules
Both campaigns agreed to a 90-minute debate with two four-minute commercial breaks, according to host CBS. No audience will be present, and there will be no opening statements.
According to CBS, candidates, who will not be allowed to bring pre-written notes or props on stage, will have two minutes to answer a question and two minutes to respond. They will be allowed one minute for rebuttals.
At moderators' discretion, candidates may get an additional minute to continue a discussion, CBS said.
Will the debate affect the campaign?
A nominee’s choice of No. 2 has historically made little Election Day difference. This year could be different.
Historical analysis by Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston, suggests that voters aren’t really swayed by a candidate’s running mate. Even the idea of using a pick to balance a ticket — like pairing the first major party nominee who is a woman of color with a white male in the case of Harris selecting Walz — may also be overstated.
“The evidence we have is that they’re really voting for the presidential nominee,” Jones said of Americans through the decades.
A key caveat might be that, given just how close the current race is looking to be in swing states, “It’s always possible that, at the margins, it may matter,” Jones said.
One reason why the Walz-Vance debate might shift more opinions this year is that Harris and Trump shared a stage only once, in early September. That means Tuesday may be the last chance before Election Day for voters to see the two tickets square off directly.
But, more likely, both Walz and Vance will simply need to avoid memorable unforced errors that can be endlessly replayed. Jones said such a race-shifting gaffe is unlikely — but not impossible.
“They’re disciplined,” Jones said. “But all it takes is one.”
What is the vice president's job?
The vice president presides over the Senate and is empowered to break ties, as Harris has done a record 33 times. She exceeded the previous high mark last year, which had held since John C. Calhoun was vice president from 1825 to 1832. The officeholder also presides ceremonially in Congress over the certification of electoral results, which Vice President Mike Pence did even after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a bid to halt the process and transition of power, with some chanting, “Hang Mike Pence!”
But the vice president's main job is to be ready to take over if something happens to the president. Nine have done so following a president’s death or departure from office — the last being Gerald Ford, who became president when Richard Nixon resigned in 1974.
The Constitution’s 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, spelled out the succession rules, stating that the vice president becomes president “in case of the removal of the president from office or of his death or resignation.” It also allowed the president and Congress to nominate and approve a new vice president if that office is vacated.
Vice presidential historian Joel K. Goldstein said two recent assassination attempts against Trump raise "the saliency of succession.” But he added that many voters view vice presidential nominees as appendages of the candidates who selected them, not necessarily as potential future presidents themselves.
“People do look at somebody as, are they ready to be a heartbeat away?” Goldstein said. “But it is also a question of how good a decisionmaker is the person who chose them.”
