What are the rules for 'CBS News Vice Presidential Debate' between Vance, Walz? See full list
The first, and likely only, vice presidential debate before the 2024 election is set to take place in New York City Tuesday night.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the running mates for Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, respectively, will take the stage nearly a month after the presidential nominees held a debate in Philadelphia.
According to CBS News, the network proposed four dates for a debate between the two vice presidential nominees: Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8. Both campaigns soon agreed to the Oct. 1 date.
"See you on October 1, JD," Walz posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Aug. 14.
Vance accepted the Oct. 1 debate the following day, while also proposing a debate for Sept. 18 on CNN. Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris' campaign, told CBS News later that day that Walz will only participate in the Oct. 1 debate.
Here's what to know about the Oct. 1 debate, including the rules set forth by CBS News and who will be moderating.
What are the rules for the 'CBS News Vice Presidential Debate'?
CBS News announced that both campaigns agreed to the following rules for the debate:
There will be 90 minutes of debate time, with two breaks of four minutes each.
There will be no audience.
The two moderators, Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan, will be seated and will be the only ones asking questions of the candidates.
Candidates will stand behind podiums for the duration of the debate, Gov. Walz on stage left/screen right and Sen. Vance on stage right/screen left.
Candidates will have two minutes for closing statements. A virtual coin toss was held on Sept. 26. Sen. Vance won and elected to go second with his closing statement.
Candidates will be introduced by the moderators in order of incumbent party.
No props or pre-written notes will be allowed on stage.
No topics or questions will be shared in advance with campaigns or candidates.
Campaign staff may not interact with candidates during breaks.
Candidates will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.
Event space will be available for staff and candidate walk-throughs to be scheduled in advance.
Lights will indicate time left, with numeric countdown: green until 15 seconds; solid yellow until five seconds; flashing red at five seconds; solid red at zero.
CBS News reserves the right to turn off candidate microphones.
Moderators will seek to enforce timing agreements.
For each question, the candidate asked the question will get two minutes to answer and the other candidate will get two minutes to respond. Then, each candidate gets one minute for further rebuttals. At the discretion of the moderators, candidates may get an additional minute each to continue a discussion.
Start time, how to watch 'CBS News Vice Presidential Debate'
The "CBS News Vice Presidential Debate" is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET on Oct. 1, the network announced in September.
It will be broadcast on CBS and livestreamed on all platforms where CBS News 24/7 and Paramount+ are available. The debate will also be made available to simulcast, CBS announced.
USA TODAY will also be livestreaming the "CBS News Vice Presidential Debate Simulcast" on its YouTube channel. You can watch the simulcast below.
Who are the moderators for the 'CBS News Vice Presidential Debate'?
The debate will be moderated by "CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell and "Face the Nation" moderator and CBS News foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan, the network announced.
Where will the 'CBS News Vice Presidential Debate' be held?
The debate is scheduled to take place at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CBS News Vice Presidential Debate rules: Details on mics, crowd, more