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Walz vs. Vance: What you need to know about the vice presidential debate

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01st October, 2024 04:39 IST

New York, New York - Vice presidential hopefuls Tim Walz and JD Vance will be hitting the debate stage for the first time on Tuesday night as the 2024 race nears its end.

image Vice presidential candidates JD Vance (r.) and Tim Walz will debate each other next week, in their last chance to sell their vision of America to voters. © Collage: SAUL LOEB & Olivier Touron / AFP

With only a little over a month until Election Day on November 5, the race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump is about to reach its climax as their running mates prepare to face off.

The two rival sides have been slinging mud at each other for the past two months since Harris joined the race, and both have made it clear they are ready to throw down.

During his first rally after being selected as Harris' running mate, Walz joked that he "can't wait to debate the guy – that is, if he's willing to get off the couch and show up," referencing a false internet claim that Vance admitted to having sex with a couch in his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy.

And Vance, in a recent interview with The New York Post, appeared very confident ahead of the debate, as he told the outlet, "We have well-developed views on public policy, so we don't have to prepare that much."

The event also carries a lot of weight for both camps, as Trump has vehemently refused Harris' challenges to another debate, which may make this the last big political showdown before the November elections.

In a recent interview with MSNBC, presidential historian Douglas Brinkley described the event as, "the most important vice presidential debate, I think, in US history," and the "last chance" for Trump and Vance to "score points and get an edge out."

With the stakes so high, this will be the one presidential race event you won't want to miss.

How are the two candidates preparing for the debate? image Democratic candidate Tim Walz is reportedly using Pete Buttigieg (l.) to help with preparations for the debate, while Republican JD Vance has been using Tom Emmer (r.). © Collage: Kent Nishimura / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

According to CBS News, each candidate has been prepping for the big night by using stand ins to practice.

Vance has been reportedly using House Representative and majority whip Thomas Emmer as a stand in for Walz.

As an experienced attorney, an outspoken Trump surrogate, and a politician from Walz's state of Minnesota, Emmer seems perfect to help Vance in his debate prep, as he is believed to have insight into how Walz thinks.

Walz has been reportedly using former South Bend, Indiana mayor and current US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg as his stand in for Vance.

Buttigieg ran a failed presidential campaign in 2020 but later helped Harris prepare for her vice presidential debate with Mike Pence.

He has also recently garnered a reputation as a great debater, as he has made numerous appearances on conservative networks throughout the 2024 campaign.

His impressive performance led to The Los Angeles Times dubbing him "Slayer Pete" for being a "rhetorical assassin."

What to watch for during the debate image A campaign sign supporting Donald Trump and JD Vance (L), and a sign supporting Kamala Harris and Tim Walz (R) on display in Michigan. © Collage: SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Since each candidate became the running mates for their respective candidates, Vance and Walz have run incredibly different campaigns.

It appears Walz's tactic may be resonating with Americans much better, as recent polling has him at a 40.1% favorability rating to Vance's 34.4%.

The debate will present the perfect opportunity for each candidate to win over undecided and Independent voters, while also taking aim at one other.

Walz may plan to attack Vance on his and Trump's divisive rhetoric on immigration, and the controversial conspiracy theories he's been spreading about Haitian immigrants in his Springfield, Ohio eating people's pets, which has resulted in bomb threats and violence.

The Minnesota governor has also been credited with first describing Vance and Trump as "weird," and may bring up policy positions that demonstrates it.

Vance in the past has attacked Walz's alleged military service record, insisting that before he was asked to be deployed to Iraq, Walz dropped out of the Army, which he has called "shameful."

The Ohio senator may even go after Walz's arguably progressive policies he implemented in Minnesota, which he and Trump believes will turn off more centrist voters.

How to watch vice presidential debate

The debate will be held on October 1 at 9 PM EST at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.

It will be hosted by CBS News, featuring Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan as moderators. The network will air the debate live, and it can also be streamed via CBS News 24/7 or Paramount+.

There will be no studio audience during the debate, and microphones for both candidates will remain on throughout the 90-minute event.

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