VP debate comes amid dual crises at home and abroad
The debate between Vance and Walz comes amid alarming crises both at home and abroad.
Hours before the debate, Iran launched a major missile strike on Israel. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that U.S. Navy destroyers joined Israel in “firing interceptors to shoot down inbound missiles.”
The strike came as Israel has turned its attention toward its neighbor Lebanon amid its ongoing war in Gaza. Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Iranian-backed Hezbollah, in a strike in Beirut that also killed an Iranian commander last week. Israeli forces also launched ground incursions into Lebanon on Monday. The Iranian missile strike on Tuesday is raising fears that the violence could erupt into a broader regional war that could draw in the U.S. even further.
Vice President Kamala Harris, Walz’s running mate at the top of the ticket, was at the White House to respond to the situation on Tuesday. She “unequivocally” condemned the missile attack, calling it “reckless and brazen.”
“I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist militias,” Harris said.
At home, the Southeast is digging out from catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Helene, as Americans in the hardest-hit states go without running water, electricity or passable roads. President Biden plans to visit North Carolina on Wednesday, and former President Donald Trump visited Georgia on Monday. The president has indicated he may need to call Congress back to Washington to pass supplemental funding for recovery efforts.
Rep. Tom Emmer on playing Walz in Vance’s debate prep
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican, said he spent weeks watching Walz’s previous debates in order to play him during Vance’s debate prep.
“My team and myself spent about a month going through every debate Tim Walz has ever done in the last 20 years,” Emmer told CBS News. “My job was to get not only his phraseology, his slogans down, but his mannerisms. We wanted to give JD the best facsimile impression of Tim Walz that we could.”
Emmer said Walz is an “excellent debater” who will come across as a “folksy” and “outdoorsman”-type guy, but “there’s no substance after that.”
As Walz prepared for the debate, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was the stand in for Vance.
The Harris-Walz campaign surrogates in the spin room
Here are the Democrats who will be appearing in the spin room on behalf of Walz, according to the Harris campaign:
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota;
- Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona;
- Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado;
- Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois;
- Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas;
- Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison;
- Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico
The Trump-Vance campaign surrogates who will be in the spin room
A source familiar with the Trump campaign said a number of surrogates will be appearing in the spin room after the debate, speaking out in favor of Vance:
- Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s eldest son;
- Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida;
- Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York;
- Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama;
- Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas;
- Howard Lutnick, a billionaire businessman who is the chairman of the financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald;
- Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump
Trump pulls out of “60 Minutes” interview, with Harris set to participate
“60 Minutes” announced hours before the vice presidential debate that Vice President Kamala Harris will sit down with correspondent Bill Whitaker for an interview that will air during a primetime election special on Oct. 7 at 8 p.m.
“60 Minutes” also invited former President Donald Trump to speak with correspondent Scott Pelley, and while the former president’s campaign initially agreed to participate, it reversed course.
The news magazine said Pelley will address the matter during the broadcast Monday.
“Our election special will broadcast the Harris interview on Monday as planned. Our original invitation to former President Donald Trump to be interviewed on 60 Minutes stands,” the program said.
“60 Minutes” has invited the Democratic and Republican tickets to appear on its broadcasts in the lead-up to the election for more than 50 years.
Trump and then-candidate Joe Biden, as well as their running mates, sat down for interviews with “60 Minutes” in 2020, but the former president cut his interview with Lesley Stahl short.
What are the rules for the VP debate?
Both campaigns agreed to a 90-minute debate with two four-minute commercial breaks. Campaign staff are not allowed to interact with the candidates during the breaks.
There will be no audience — a measure also implemented during the two previous presidential debates.
At the event’s start, the moderators will introduce the candidates in order of the incumbent party, with Walz coming first. There will be no opening statements.
Walz will stand behind the lectern on the left side of the stage, which will be on the right side of viewers’ screens. Vance will be at the podium on the right side of the stage, but the left side of screens.
Candidates, who cannot bring pre-written notes or props on stage, will have two minutes to answer a question and two minutes to respond. They will be allowed one minute for rebuttals. At the moderators’ discretion, candidates may get an additional minute to continue a discussion.
Unlike the presidential debates, a candidate’s microphone will not be muted when their opponent is speaking, but CBS News reserves the right to turn off the microphones.
Vance won a virtual coin toss on Thursday, opting to go second with his closing statement. Each candidate will have two minutes for their closing remarks.
No topics or questions will be shared with the campaigns in advance.
Where is the VP debate being held?
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The debate is taking place at Studio 45 at the CBS Broadcast Center, located in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. After the debate, campaign surrogates and the press will go to the spin room in Studio 42, another studio in the 800,000-square-foot Broadcast Center. Members of the media will be watching the debate and filing their stories from a press pen set up in the cafeteria.
Until this summer, Studio 45 was where “Inside Edition” was filmed. “Captain Kangaroo” was also taped in Studio 45 from 1964-1981.
CBS News moved into the facility in 1964, and Walter Cronkite broadcast the 1964 election results from Studio 41, which is now home to the “Drew Barrymore Show.”
Read more and see behind the scenes here.
How voters view Vance and Walz heading into the debate
Most voters say they’ll tune in to watch Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate and that they’re looking to learn something about the candidates, even as many also say — perhaps unsurprisingly in this partisan environment — that they’re watching to root for their side or to see if the other side makes a mistake.
Part of any vice presidential nominee’s role is to rally the base, and both Walz and Vance head into Tuesday’s debate in a good position within their own parties: a big majority of Democrats think Walz makes their ticket better, and most Republicans think Vance adds to their ticket, too.
Walz and Vance are each described as generally “competent” by most voters, but the debate also sets up a challenge for both. Neither has yet convinced a majority of voters about an essential part of the job: that they’d be qualified to be president if needed.
Read more from the CBS News polling unit here.
