Former President Trump and Vice President Harris’s running mates will get their turn on the main stage Tuesday to sell their campaigns, and ding their opponents, in front of millions of prospective voters.
Vance, a polished first-term senator from Ohio, and Walz, the folksy governor of Minnesota, were each catapulted to the national spotlight mere months ago as they accepted their vice presidential nominations this summer.
Both campaigns have sought to tamp down expectations from their match-up in recent days.
Walz's allies have described the former high school football coach as being nervous about going up against an Ivy League grad.
Trump, who has blamed moderators for his own debate performance, admitted on Fox Nation on Monday that he isn't expecting a slam dunk from Vance for the same reason.
"You’ll see it [Tuesday] with J.D., it’ll be stacked," he said.
“CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell and “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan will moderate the VP event.
Under the terms of the 90-minute debate, the moderators won’t fact-check the candidates live, so it will be up to Walz and Vance to rebut any false or misleading comments their opponent makes. The CBS broadcast will feature a QR code for live fact checking online from its news team, and most news outlets, including The Hill, will host live blogs for additional context.
Trump has said he won’t take part in another debate after he and Harris went head-to-head on Sept. 10. More than 67 million people tuned in to watch Trump and Harris.
Conventional thought is that vice presidential debates mean little in the broader election outlook. But the Trump-Harris clashe showed debates this cycle can provide plenty of fodder for memes (Harris’s facial expressions), viral videos (“They’re eating the dogs!”) and other campaign intrigue (Taylor Swift’s post-debate endorsement for Harris).
Some pundits also have given a nod to the general unpredictability of the 2024 cycle.
"There's nothing about this race that is like any other race,” veteran political consultant David Axelrod said during an appearance on CNN Tuesday morning.
He also pointed out that at over 78 years old, Trump would be the oldest person inaugurated president if he wins – besting President Biden’s record by a couple of months, and the term would run past Trump’s 82nd birthday.
"There may be an added bit of scrutiny to Vance in this debate," for that reason, Axelrod said.
Harris holds a razor-thin lead across several key swing states, after eroding Trump’s larger edge over Biden. Nationally, Harris is polling at 50.3 percent to Trump’s 45.8 percent, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ tracker.
Vance, 40, who has been in the Senate for less than two years, has struggled with poor favorability ratings and ongoing scrutiny over past controversial statements that have been revived since he joined the ticket. The latest polls have him averaging 48.6 percent unfavorable to 37.8 percent favorable, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ tracker.
Walz, 60, meanwhile, has come under scrutiny for his more liberal track record, while Harris has taken a more moderate tone. Walz’s favorability has polled under 50 percent, but, unlike Vance, more voters have a favorable view of him than unfavorable. The latest polls have him averaging 43.6 percent favorable to 39.7 percent unfavorable, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ tracker.
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