Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’s running mate, has publicly accepted a debate challenge against Ohio Senator JD Vance, Donald Trump’s vice-presidential pick. Responding to a CBS News statement that invited both candidates to participate in a debate in New York City, Walz confirmed his willingness to debate Vance on October 1. CBS had offered four possible dates for the debate: September 17, September 24, October 1, and October 8.
Walz announced his decision on X, writing, “See you on October 1, JD.” The Harris campaign followed up with a statement, affirming that “Harris for President has accepted CBS’ invitation to a Vice Presidential Candidate Debate on October 1. Governor Walz looks forward to debating JD Vance – if he shows up.” As of now, Vance has not confirmed whether he will participate on that date.
Last week, Walz expressed his eagerness to debate Vance, quipping, “I can’t wait to debate the guy — that is, if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up,” referencing a much-discussed but unverified claim from Vance’s memoir.
Earlier in May, when Joe Biden was still in the race, the Biden campaign indicated that the then-vice president would be willing to debate the eventual Republican vice-presidential nominee on July 23 or August 13. At that time, Biden had not yet withdrawn from the race, and JD Vance had not been announced as Trump’s running mate. Vance’s campaign subsequently declined to commit to a vice-presidential debate before the Democratic National Convention on August 19.
Meanwhile, Harris and Trump are scheduled to participate in their first presidential debate on September 10, hosted by ABC News. The debate will be moderated by David Muir, anchor and managing editor of “World News Tonight,” and Linsey Davis, anchor of “ABC News Live Prime.”