The vice presidential candidates are about to meet for their only scheduled debate of the 2024 presidential race.
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio will take the stage at 9 p.m. Eastern Time to answer questions in the “CBS News Vice Presidential Debate.”
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The debate is an opportunity for both candidates to send a lasting impression to voters before Election Day.
Abortion, immigration and child care are of huge importance to how people vote, specifically young voters. Women under 34 are so far breaking heavily toward Harris. But Walz may be working on Tuesday to win over more male voters as he works to introduce himself to the public. Vance, too, may seek to expand what the public knows about him beyond Hillbilly Elegy, the book he wrote about growing up in Ohio.
Meanwhile, polling conducted by Ipsos shows that the economy and inflation are at the top of mind for voters. Issues like crime and safety, health care and protecting democracy rank below economic concerns.
Rules of the debate
According to CBS News, moderators can mute the candidates’ microphones during the debate when it is not their turn to speak. CBS News also said that there will be two four-minute commercial breaks during the 90-minute debate, but campaign staff will not be allowed to interact with candidates during these intermissions.
Candidates will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water, but they are not allowed to bring any prewritten notes or props with them to the stage, organizers said.
The candidates selected certain aspects of the debate based on a coin flip: Vance chose to give his closing statement last, and Walz chose to stand at the leftmost podium on screen during the broadcast.
Each candidate will get two minutes to answer questions, two minutes to deliver rebuttals, and one minute for responses or follow-ups as granted.
Closing statements will run for two minutes per candidate and there will be no opening statements.
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