CBS News extended invitations to Walz and Vance, the running mates of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, offering four potential dates: September 17, September 24, October 1, and October 8.Both candidates have chosen to participate on October 1.
Walz responded to the invitation with a straightforward acknowledgment: “See you on October 1, JD.” The Harris campaign also confirmed its acceptance of the October 1 date. Vance, who had previously been hesitant about committing to specific debate dates, said his readiness to participate on October 1 and expressed willingness to engage in an additional debate on September 18, proposed by CNN.
Vance emphasized the importance of having multiple debates, asserting, “The American people deserve as many debates as possible.” However, he voiced concerns about the debate format, saying, “I strongly suspect we’re going to be there on October 1, but we’re not going to do one of these fake debates where they don’t actually have an audience or set the parameters right. We’re not going to run and walk into a fake news media garbage debate.”
The Harris-Walz campaign has decided against accepting any additional debate dates, with spokesperson Michael Tyler saying, “The debate about debates is over.” He added, “Donald Trump’s campaign accepted our proposal for three debates — two presidential and one vice presidential.”
Historically, vice presidential candidates typically participate in only one debate. Vance had previously delayed his commitment, opting to wait until Walz was officially nominated. Although the nomination process was completed online earlier this month, Vance’s decision on the debate format remained contingent on CBS News agreeing to his stipulations.
Walz, enthusiastic about the upcoming debate, remarked during his debut with Harris on August 6, “I can’t wait to debate the guy.”
In addition to the vice presidential debate, Harris and Trump are scheduled for a presidential debate on September 10, hosted by ABC News. Despite initial reluctance and past complaints about debate formats, Trump agreed to participate following a contentious primary debate with President Joe Biden, which led to Biden’s withdrawal from the race.
Tyler confirmed that, “assuming Donald Trump actually shows up on September 10,” the vice presidential debate between Walz and Vance will proceed as planned on October 1, with a second presidential debate between Harris and Trump to follow later in October.