Previewing the Vice Presidential Debate
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the vice presidential debate.
The first and only vice presidential debate is taking place on Oct. 1.
The debate between Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance will be hosted by CBS and moderated by “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell and “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan.
Though the specific debate topics are still unknown at this time, topics likely to come up include reproductive healthcare, immigration and the economy.
“There were issues that came up in [previous] debates that definitely could come up again. Vance was pressed on his stance on immigration, for example. Walz, his military service came up,” said senior video journalist JM Rieger, on a recent episode of “The Washington Post” podcast Sidebar. “We expect that both could potentially go at each other in this debate on those issues.”
“Walz had a very strong line in his final debate in his second gubernatorial contest in 2022, talking about women and reproductive health…We expect this to be another key issue this election,” Rieger added. “The past sort of informs the present and the future and what we might expect in this debate.”
Both candidates will have two minutes to respond to each question, according to CBS. After their responses, each candidate will be allowed one minute for any rebuttals.
The candidates will not receive any questions or topics prior to the debate. At the end, they will both have two minutes to make their closing statements.
Both nominees are slightly unfamiliar with voters, with 23% saying they haven’t heard of Vance and 28% saying they haven’t heard of Walz, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.
“I feel like when people think of the candidates and everything, they only think of the president,” said Emily Cavanna ‘26. “They don’t usually think of the vice president or really know anything about them.”
Despite many Americans being unfamiliar with Vance and Walz, 34% have a favorable opinion of Vance; 39% have a favorable opinion of Walz.
“I don’t know if it will change the opinions of others, but I think it’s a good opportunity for people to learn about the VP candidates. It’s not often discussed in campaigning and everything,” said Cavanna.
The debate will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 9 p.m. EST on CBS and Paramount+.