Donald Trump and Kamala Harris' running mates Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are days away from taking the stage in their debate as voters in some states are already casting their ballots in the neck-and-neck presidential race.
The running mates face high stakes in the debate, set for Tuesday, October 1, and will make their pitches to undecided voters in battleground states—albeit from the Democratic stronghold of New York City—on issues that have defined the 2020 race, including the economy, immigration and reproductive rights.
It comes just weeks after the first, and likely only, debate between Trump and Harris in Philadelphia. Harris was widely viewed as the winner of the debate, earning a small bump in the polls. But the race remains close, with only razor-thin margins dividing the two candidates in swing states.
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How Are Vance and Walz Preparing for Debate?
Vance and Walz are expected to spend this week preparing for the debate.
Vance has asked Minnesota Representative Tom Emmer to stand in as Walz during his debate prep, The New York Times reported on Monday.
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is standing in as Vance in Walz's debate prep in Minneapolis, ABC News reported.
Who Is Moderating the VP Debate?
The debate will be broadcast by CBS News. It is set to be moderated by Norah O'Donnell, CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor, and Margaret Brennan, Face the Nation moderator and foreign affairs correspondent, the network announced in a press release.
It is set to begin at 9 p.m. and can be "live streamed on all platforms where CBS News 24/7 and Paramount+ are available," according to the release. More details about the format and details are expected to be released in the coming days.
What to Watch for During the Walz-Vance Debate
Vance and Walz will be competing to win over undecided voters, a crucial voting bloc, with only about a month until Election Day during the debate. They will both play up their midwestern roots in a bid to appeal to voters in the three Rust Belt swing states—Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—where the election is likely to be decided.
Vance is likely to try to tie Walz to the more progressive wing of the Democratic Party, who urged Harris to pick him over other potential running mates. He will likely knock Walz on issues like inflation and immigration, which has been a sore spot for Democrats.
Walz, meanwhile, will likely draw attention to Vance's statements on cultural issues like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. Reproductive rights in particular have proven to be a salient issue for Democrats, and Vance's anti-abortion positioning could alienate swing voters, Democrats believe.
Notably, Walz is credited with hatching a key attack Democrats have used against the Trump campaign.
The governor dubbed Vance and Trump as "weird" during an MSNBC appearance in early August, a refrain that quickly caught fire among Democrats and has now been frequently repeated. The attack underscores a key Democratic effort to paint the Trump campaign as out-of-touch with most Americans on social issues, as polls suggest most voters are broadly supportive of LGBTQ+ and abortion rights, with some limits.
Newsweek reached out to the Harris and Trump campaigns for comment via email.
What Do the Polls Say Ahead of Debate?
Harris has held a razor-thin margin against Trump in polls just one week out from the debate.
On Monday, FiveThirtyEight's polling aggregate gave Harris merely a 2.8-point advantage over Trump. Harris held even smaller leads in Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, while Trump held a polling advantage in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, according to the average.
A New York Times/Siena College poll released on Sunday showed Trump up in three key sunbelt and southern states among likely voters. He held a 5-point lead in Arizona (48 percent to 43 percent), a 3-point lead in Georgia (47 percent to 44 percent) and a 2-point lead in North Carolina (47 percent to 45 percent).
The poll surveyed 713 likely voters in Arizona, 682 likely voters in Georgia and 682 likely voters in North Carolina from September 17 to September 21.
Elsewhere, a YouGov/CBS News poll showed Harris with a 4-point national lead over Trump (52 percent to 48 percent). It surveyed 3,129 likely voters from September 18 to September 20. An Emerson College/The Hill poll, which surveyed 1,000 likely voters from September 15 to September 18, found Harris with a single-point lead nationally (50 percent to 49 percent).
Will There Be Any Other Debates?
There has only been one debate between the two parties' presidential nominees so far in the election cycle, fewer than any election in recent history, sparking calls for another debate between Trump and Harris.
Harris has committed to a CNN debate against Trump for October 23, but Trump has signaled he would not be interested in another debate, telling his supporters during a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina that it is "just too late" and that "voting has already started."
Early voting has already begun in several states, including Minnesota, South Dakota, Vermont and Virginia, and it will begin in Illinois this week.
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About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more
