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 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.
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Here's what to know if you plan to watch:
What time is the debate tonight?
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The 90-minute debate will start at 9 p.m. ET on Oct. 1. It's being moderated by “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan of CBS' “Face the Nation.”
Where is the debate tonight?
The debate will take place in New York City.
Decision 2024
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.
Where to watch the VP debate: Channel, streaming and more
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 our NBC10 Boston 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.
You can also stream the debate on our website or in the app as you follow along with our live blog this evening.
How are the candidates preparing?
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.
The role of a presidential running mate is typically to serve as an attack dog for the person at the top of the ticket, arguing against the opposing presidential candidate and their proxy on stage. Both Vance and Walz have embraced that role.
And as NBC10 Boston Political Commentator Sue O'Connell put it, these candidates are in a relatively unique position in their race. For one, both came in as relative unknowns to the national stage. And, O'Connell points out, the recent assassination attempts on Trump underscore the most important job a vice president could have - to step into the role of president if the president becomes unable to serve.
Vance’s occasionally confrontational news interviews and appearances on the campaign trail have underscored why Trump picked him for the Republican ticket despite his past biting criticisms of the former president, including once suggesting Trump would be “America’s Hitler.”
Walz, meanwhile, catapulted onto Harris’ campaign by branding Trump and Republicans as “ just weird,” creating an attack line for Democrats seeking to argue Republicans are disconnected from the American people.
The most recent NBC News Poll measured the popularity of both Vance and Walz ahead of the debate. They found a 20-point difference between the candidates.
- Walz: 40% positive, 33% negative (+7)
- Vance: 32% positive, 45% negative (-13)
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.
After a Harris-Trump debate in which Republicans complained about the ABC News moderators fact-checking Trump, Tuesday’s debate will not feature any corrections from the hosts. CBS News said the onus for pointing out misstatements will be on the candidates, with moderators “facilitating those opportunities.”
Both sides are trying to lower expectations
Ahead of the debate, allies of both men were lowering expectations that their candidate will have a decisive performance.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., called Vance “an accomplished debater” and contrasted that with Walz, saying he was “not a lawyer-debater type.” Klobuchar said Walz spent time growing up thinking about football, not debating.
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, portrayed Walz much differently than Klobuchar.
“Tim Walz is very good in debates, really good. He’s been a politician for nearly 20 years. He’ll be very well prepared for tomorrow night,” Miller told reporters Monday. He predicted the Democratic governor of Minnesota will be much more “buttoned up” than he is on the campaign trail and ready to defend his record, but added, “That’s not to say that JD Vance won’t be prepared tomorrow, or that somehow he isn’t up to the challenge.”
Vance, speaking to reporters last week, said he didn’t “have to prepare that much” for the debate because he had “well-developed views on public policy.”
But Vance has been doing debate prep sessions where he’s been joined by his wife, Usha Vance, Miller, senior Vance aides, and Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., who has played Walz, according to a person familiar with his preparations who requested anonymity to discuss strategy. Moderating their mock debates was Monica Crowley, who served in the Trump administration, hosts a podcast and contributed to Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for remaking government that Trump claims he knows " nothing about.”
“JD Vance is prepared to wipe the floor with Tim Walz and expose him for the radical liberal he is,” Emmer told reporters on Monday.
Walz’s debate prep has included sessions hunkered down in a Minneapolis hotel, with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg standing in for Vance, according to a person familiar with the process who requested anonymity to discuss the campaign’s internal dynamics. Others helping in the preparations include Rob Friedlander and Zayn Siddique, who helped Harris prepare for her debate with Trump, along with other aides to Walz and the campaign.
Klobuchar said Walz will show the American people “a real person” who brings “buoyancy” and positivity to the debate stage that will contrast with Vance, but “he is not going to be shy about pointing out the problems.”
“Just because he’s an optimistic, positive person doesn’t mean he’s a pushover,” she said.
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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in New York, Josh Boak in Baltimore, and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
