What to know about the vice presidential debate

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance will square off Tuesday night in the only debate planned between the vice presidential nominees.
Here’s what you need to know about the clash of candidates, who were little known nationally before being selected to join their respective tickets for the Nov. 5 election.
Get the latest politics news from North Texas and beyond.
Or with:
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
The debate is set to start at 8 p.m. Central from the CBS studio in New York. In the Dallas area, it can be seen on KTVT-TV (Channel 11). It also will be livestreamed on CBS News 24/7 and Paramount+.
CBS said the debate would be available for simulcast on other stations.
Related: Back to the Ballot – Your personalized guide to voting
CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell and Face the Nation moderator and foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan will moderate the debate, which is scheduled for 90 minutes.
According to the rules released by CBS News, nominees will have two minutes to answer a question, then the other nominee will be given two minutes to respond. Each nominee will have one minute for rebuttals. At their discretion, the moderators may give nominees an additional minute for each topic.
There will be no opening statements, but the candidates will be allowed two minutes for closing remarks. A Sept. 26 coin toss determined the order of closing statements. Vance won the toss and opted to go second and have the final word of the debate.
CBS News has stated it “reserves the right to mute the candidates’ microphones,” but they will generally remain on.
The nominees will not be given questions in advance and may not interact with their staff during the debate or breaks. They will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.
The debate will be staged without a studio audience.
The 2024 season has been an unusual cycle for debates. The events were not coordinated by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Instead, the campaigns negotiated the details, including the rules, with the host networks.
Running mates are traditionally called on to be campaign attack dogs, aggressively making the contrast between the tickets.
In addition to opportunities to attack, the debate will provide Vance and Walz with chances to promote the top of the ticket — Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris — and outline how they would perform as vice president.
Most vice presidential debates are forgettable, but there are exceptions, notably the 1988 debate between Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D-Texas, and Sen. Dan Quayle, R-Indiana.
When pressed about his youth (he was 41) and experience, Quayle compared himself to former President John F. Kennedy.
Bentsen pounced.
“Senator,” he said with a Texas drawl. “I served with Jack Kennedy. I know Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”
“That was really uncalled for, Senator,” Quayle responded.
That moment, seen by 50 million people during the broadcast, is etched in history, though it didn’t hurt the Republican ticket as then-Vice President George H.W. Bush went on to easily defeat former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. But it likely impacted Quayle’s career, which climaxed with his one term as vice president.
The most recent vice presidential debate, in 2020, also had a viral moment when Harris faced then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Harris landed the line “I’m speaking” when Pence interrupted her. At one point a fly landed on Pence’s head in view of the television audience, which led to a Saturday Night Live sketch.
Monday’s event is likely the last debate of the season.
Harris has accepted an invitation for a second presidential debate Oct. 23 on CNN, but Trump recently said he would not participate.