Walz, Vance taking part in first vice-presidential debate

By KSTP

On Tuesday night, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, 60, and Ohio Senator JD Vance, 40, will take the stage in New York for a vice-presidential debate, the first of this election cycle – and the first time the candidates will be meeting each other.

Both men have spent an ample amount of time preparing for Tuesday’s event, with Walz writing in a recent campaign email that he’s been “training to block JD Vance’s twisted and dangerous agenda.” However, former President Donald Trump says he’s confident his running mate will have the edge in the debate.

Vice presidential debate preview

A new KSTP/Survey USA poll shows that Minnesotans will be watching to see how their governor fares, with 48% saying they’ll definitely watch, while 36% saying they may watch. Only 9% of Minnesotans responded saying definitely won’t watch.

The survey previously showed the presidential debate had little impact on potential voters, with half saying it had no impact.

Walz, before Harris selected him, was the Democrat who coined “weird” as a go-to pejorative for the Republican ticket. Vance assails the governor’s progressive record as proof Democrats are too far left for voters.

Vance has mocked his fellow veteran’s military service record. Walz hammers Vance’s opposition to abortion rights and his views on family life. Both men have played up their small-town, middle-America credentials — contrasts to Trump, the billionaire native New Yorker, and Harris, the California Bay Area native.

HOW TO WATCH:

Tuesday’s debate will begin at 8 p.m., however, coverage begins at 7 p.m., right after 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS at 6.

KSTP-TV will be airing the debate on-air and streaming it online and will have a breakdown of highlights plus an analysis on Nightcast.

EVENT DETAILS:

The debate will last 90 minutes and is being moderated by CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan of CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Candidates – and not the moderators – will be fact-checking each other in real time, according to the network. Previously, moderators checked presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump during the debate held on ABC in September. However, CNN moderators didn’t question Trump and President Joe Biden during the spring event.

Both candidates will have two minutes for a closing statement. A virtual coin toss was held, and went to Vance, who will be speaking last.

In addition, there will be no studio audience.

Both sides have agreed that the candidates’ microphones will stay on while their opponent is speaking, which did not happen during the two presidential debates. However, CBS says it reserves the right to shut off a hot microphone when necessary.

POSITION BACKGROUND:

While the vice president’s main job is to be ready to take over if something happens to the president – with nine having done so following a president’s death or departure from office – the vice president also presides over the Senate and is empowered to break ties, as Harris has done a record 33 times. She exceeded the previous high mark last year, which had held since John C. Calhoun was vice president from 1825 to 1832. The officeholder also presides ceremonially in Congress over the certification of electoral results.

The Constitution’s 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, spelled out the succession rules, stating that the vice president becomes president “in case of the removal of the president from office or of his death or resignation.” It also allowed the president and Congress to nominate and approve a new vice president if that office is vacated.

Vice presidential historian Joel K. Goldstein said two recent assassination attempts against Trump raise “the saliency of succession.” But he added that many voters view vice presidential nominees as appendages of the candidates who selected them, not necessarily as potential future presidents themselves.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.