Vance and Walz face off in VP debate

NEW YORK - The vice-presidential nominees, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), are set to face off Tuesday night in New York in a 90-minute debate hosted by CBS News.

It could be the last debate before the election, as former president Donald Trump has not agreed to a second matchup with Vice President Kamala Harris. That raises the stakes for both the Democratic and Republican tickets.

The debate will be moderated by Norah O’Donnell, anchor and managing editor of “CBS Evening News,” and Margaret Brennan, moderator of CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Virtually every poll suggests they go into it from very different political places. Walz is modestly popular, and Vance is quite unpopular. That’s been the case for weeks.

The White House Correspondents’ Association is outlining concerns about a lack of press access to Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate, saying the limitations are “part of an alarming trend.”

WHCA President Eugene Daniels, a correspondent for Politico, wrote in a statement that CBS, the host of Tuesday night’s debate, “is only allowing one print representative, one television representative and six still photographers, who won’t be permitted to move around to take photos during the event.”

How Walz and Vance have prepared for the debate

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) has been preparing for the debate in recent weeks by participating in policy sessions and mock debates in his home state and on the road.

The campaign enlisted Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in his personal capacity, to play Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) during debate rehearsals.

The campaign tapped Zayn Siddique, a lawyer who worked in the White House and helped President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris prepare for debates, and Rob Friedlander, who previously worked on the National Economic Council, to oversee the debate prep. Current and former Obama and Biden administration officials are also engaged in the preparations.

Vance, meanwhile, tapped Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) to help him prepare to face Walz on the debate stage. Emmer, the House majority whip, has known Walz for years. (Source: The Washington Post)