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Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) will participate in a vice-presidential debate on Tuesday - the first and only time the pair are scheduled to take part in a televised showdown before Election Day.
Former president Donald Trump has suggested he does not plan to participate in more debates against Vice President Kamala Harris, and Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate in New York will mark a rare, high-profile moment for Vance and Walz to defend their records and policy proposals.
Here’s what we know so far about the upcoming vice-presidential debate.
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How to watch the vice-presidential debate
The debate, hosted by CBS News, is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern, or 5 p.m. Alaska time. It will air on CBS and be live-streamed on CBS News 24/7 and Paramount Plus. The debate also will be available via simulcast on other networks.
Live coverage on The Washington Post begins at 8 p.m. Eastern. Libby Casey will anchor coverage alongside senior politics correspondent Rhonda Colvin and opinions columnist James Hohmann. JM Rieger will report live from the spin room in New York, and Blair Guild will be in Minneapolis at a watch party hosted by former students from the high school where Walz taught.
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Where the debate will be held
The debate is being held at CBS Broadcast Center in New York, a television production facility located in Manhattan.
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Who is moderating the event
The debate will be moderated by Norah O’Donnell, anchor and managing editor of “CBS Evening News,” and Margaret Brennan, moderator of CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
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How long the debate will last
The debate is scheduled to run for 90 minutes.
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Vance vs. Walz
Walz and Vance agreed to participate in the Oct. 1 debate in August.
Walz has been preparing for the debate in recent weeks by participating in policy sessions and mock debates in his home state and on the road. The campaign enlisted Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in his personal capacity, to play Vance during debate rehearsals. The campaign tapped Zayn Siddique, a lawyer who worked in the Biden White House and helped him and Harris prepare for debates, and Rob Friedlander, who previously worked on the National Economic Council, to oversee the debate prep. Current and former Obama and Biden administration officials are also engaged in the preparations.
The Post previously reported that Vance tapped Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) to help him prepare to face Walz on the debate stage. Emmer, the House majority whip, has known Walz for years.
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What the debate stage will look like
Walz will stand at a lectern on stage left and Vance will be on stage right, with each candidate remaining behind their lectern throughout the debate. Walz will be introduced first by the debate moderators.
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Microphones will be hot
Microphones will be live throughout the debate, but CBS News said they reserve the right to mute them.
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No audience
Like the past two presidential debates this election cycle, there will be no studio audience during Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate.
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Opening and closing statements
There will be no opening statement during the debate.
CBS News says the campaigns held a coin toss on Sept. 26 to allow the winner to choose the order of closing statements. Vance won and elected to go second. Each candidate will have two minutes for their closing statement.
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How long candidates will have to answer questions
Candidates will have two minutes to answer a question when asked, and the opposing candidate will be allowed two minutes to respond. Each candidate will then have one minute for rebuttal statements, but CBS News says “moderators may at their discretion give candidates an additional minute each to continue a topic.” Candidates will have lights indicating how much time they have left to speak, as well as a countdown clock.
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Commercial breaks
There will be two breaks during the debate, which will each last four minutes. During these breaks, campaign staff will not be permitted to interact with the candidates.
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Debate prep and props
Candidates will not receive debate questions or topics in advance. They will have a pen, pad of paper and a water bottle at their respective lecterns, but otherwise will not be allowed any props or pre-written notes onstage.
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Meryl Kornfield contributed to this report.