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Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said Thursday that he has agreed to an Oct. 1 debate with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) hosted by CBS News, setting the stage for at least one televised showdown between the Republican and Democratic vice-presidential nominees before the general election in November.
Vance said he not only accepted the Oct. 1 invitation but also challenged Walz to another debate in September.
“The American people deserve as many debates as possible …” Vance wrote on X. “Not only do I accept the CBS debate on October 1st, I accept the CNN debate on September 18th as well. I look forward to seeing you at both!”
According to CBS News, the network proposed four dates for a vice-presidential debate.
Walz said Wednesday at a Boston fundraiser that he had accepted an invitation to debate Vance on Oct. 1.
“I’m really looking forward to how that goes. … We have very different visions of America,” Walz said then.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign also confirmed Wednesday that Walz had agreed to the Oct. 1 debate.
The scheduling of at least one vice-presidential debate comes after weeks of reticence from former president Donald Trump over whether he would debate Harris after she became the Democratic presidential nominee.
Trump had previously agreed to debate President Joe Biden on Sept. 10 on ABC News, but pulled out after Biden announced last month that he would not seek reelection.
After much back and forth, Trump said last week that he would debate Harris on Sept. 10 after all, according to ABC. Trump also proposed two other debates.
Dylan Wells contributed to this report.
