By Amy B Wang
(c) 2024 , The Washington Post
Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said Thursday that he has agreed to an Oct. 1 debate with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) hosted by CBS News, setting the stage for at least one televised showdown between the Republican and Democratic vice-presidential nominees before the general election in November.
Vance said he not only accepted the Oct. 1 invitation but also challenged Walz to another debate in September.
“I think we ought to do as many debates as we possibly can,” Vance said at a campaign event Thursday in New Kensington, Pa.
Vance added that CNN had extended an invitation for a mid-September vice-presidential debate.
“I told my staff, agree to whatever we have to agree to, because I think it’s important, again, that you stand before the American people and actually ask for their vote, not just pretend it’s going to be given to you,” he said.
According to CBS News, the network proposed four dates for a vice-presidential debate.
Walz said Wednesday at a Boston fundraiser that he had accepted an invitation to debate Vance on Oct. 1.
“I’m really looking forward to how that goes. … We have very different visions of America,” Walz said then.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign also confirmed Wednesday that Walz had agreed to the Oct. 1 debate.
The scheduling of at least one vice-presidential debate comes after weeks of reticence from former president Donald Trump over whether he would debate Harris after she became the Democratic presidential nominee.
Trump had previously agreed to debate President Joe Biden on Sept. 10 on ABC News, but pulled out after Biden announced last month that he would not seek reelection.
After much back and forth, Trump said last week that he would debate Harris on Sept. 10 after all, according to ABC. Trump also proposed two other debates.
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Dylan Wells contributed to this report.
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Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) spoke about debating Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) at a campaign event on Aug. 15 and called for “as many debates as we possibly can” after the vice-presidential candidates agreed to face off on Oct. 1.(c) 2024 , The Washington Post