The running mates of White House candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have agreed to participate in at least one vice-presidential debate, accepting an invitation from CBS News on October 1.
CBS announced Wednesday on social media platform X that it had proposed four prospective debates in September and October to Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance.
“See you on October 1, JD,” Walz replied, before the Harris campaign officially confirmed that it had accepted the date, which comes after early voting has already started in several states.
Vance stated on Thursday that he had accepted the October 1 invitation and suggested an earlier debate on September 18 given by CNN, noting that the “American people deserve as many debates as possible.”
There had been some skepticism about whether the encounter would occur at all.
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Vance stated that he would not participate in a “fake debate” without an audience, similar to Trump and Biden’s June 27 encounter.
Harris and Trump will hold their own debate on September 10, hosted by ABC News, and the vice president has stated that she is willing to consider her opponent’s recommendations for future debates.
Harris’ late entry into the campaign, which replaced President Joe Biden after he withdrew due to concerns about his age and unpopularity, has effectively transformed it into the type of contest until election day that is more frequent in Europe.
Already a trailblazer as the first female, Black, and South Asian vice president, Harris is trying to create history as the first female president — and is hurrying to present herself to the public ahead of November 5.
She and Walz are set to attend the national convention in Chicago next week after a successful campaign that has overturned Trump’s polling advantages, broken financial records, and drew large crowds to rallies.
In almost all of the swing states that decide US elections, Harris is now on par or ahead of Trump, who stunned the world with his 2016 presidential victory but was defeated by Biden in 2020.