US vice-presidential candidates agree to October debate
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CBS had offered four potential debates to Democratic Minnesota governor Tim Walz (left) and Republican Ohio senator J.D. Vance.
PHOTOS: NYTIMES
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WASHINGTON – The running mates of White House rivals Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have agreed to face off in at least one vice-presidential debate, accepting an invitation from CBS News for an Oct 1 showdown.
CBS posted on Aug 14 on social media platform X that it had offered four potential debates in September and October to Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Republican Ohio Senator J.D. Vance.
“See you on Oct 1, J.D.,” Mr Walz replied, before the Harris campaign officially confirmed it had accepted the date, which comes after early voting would have started in several states.
Mr Vance said on Aug 15 he had accepted the Oct 1 invitation and suggested an earlier debate on Sept 18 offered by CNN, saying the “American people deserve as many debates as possible”.
There had been some doubt over whether the encounter would take place.
Mr Vance confirmed he was open to Oct 1 in an interview with Fox News on Aug 14, but said he would not do “one of these fake debates... where they don’t actually have an audience”, like the June 27 encounter between Trump and President Joe Biden.
Ms Harris and Trump are set to stage their own debate on Sept 10,
Ms Harris’ late entry into the race – replacing Mr Biden after his withdrawal amid concerns over his age and unpopularity – has effectively turned it into the kind of sprint to election day more common in Europe.
Already a trailblazer as the first female and first Black and South Asian vice-president, she is aiming to make history as the first woman president – and is scrambling to pitch herself to the public ahead of Nov 5.
She and Mr Walz head to the national convention in Chicago next week on the back of a blockbuster start: They have reversed Trump’s polling leads, obliterated fundraising records and attracted huge ebullient crowds to their rallies.
In almost all of the swing states that decide the contest in US elections, Ms Harris is now level or ahead of Trump, who shocked the world with his 2016 presidential victory but was beaten by Mr Biden in 2020. AFP
