Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance and his Democratic counterpart Tim Walz will participate in a debate hosted by CBS on October 1 after the Ohio senator accepted the invitation on Thursday, a day after the Minnesota governor did the same.
Vance also announced that he has accepted CNN’s invitation for a vice presidential debate this fall. CNN reached out to Kamala Harris's campaign for comment.
A CNN spokesperson stated that the network "invited both Senator Vance and Governor Walz to participate in the Vice Presidential Debate this fall, and Senator Vance has accepted. We are always in contact with campaigns regarding opportunities for the American public to hear from top candidates for the presidency and vice presidency, and we look forward to the program this fall."
Vance, who was nominated by Donald Trump as the vice presidential candidate last month, shared on social media Thursday that he is "looking forward" to both debates.
“The American people deserve as many debates as possible, which is why President Trump challenged Kamala to three debates. I’m not only accepting CBS's debate on October 1, but also the CNN debate on September 18. I look forward to seeing you at both debates!” he wrote.
Walz, who joined Harris on the Democratic ticket last week, accepted CBS's invitation in a social media post on Wednesday: "See you on October 1, JD."
CBS News has offered the candidates two dates in September and two dates in October for debates in New York City.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday after a campaign stop outside Pittsburgh, Vance called for more debates while accusing Walz and Harris of avoiding "every media interview."
“I think we should have as many debates as possible,” he stated in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. “President Trump invited Kamala Harris to three debates. She only agreed to one. Tim Walz, I guess we’ve agreed to have one debate on October 1,” the senator said. “CNN wants to have a debate in mid-September. And I said, ‘Okay, sure,’ because the American people deserve that.”
Harris and Trump have agreed to meet for a debate on ABC on September 10. Trump has also agreed to debates on Fox News and NBC, while Harris stated she would "gladly discuss an additional debate after September 10."
When asked by CNN about the rules for the vice presidential debate, Vance said his team "really didn't ask or request much."
“We just want to make sure we have a chance to exchange real viewpoints,” Vance said. “I told my staff, ‘Agree to whatever we have to agree to,’ because I think it’s important, once again, to stand before the American people and genuinely ask for their votes, not just pretend that it will be handed to you.”
In May, before President Joe Biden dropped out, Harris accepted an invitation from CBS to debate Trump’s future vice presidential candidate on July 23 or August 13. Trump stated on his Truth Social platform at that time that his campaign had accepted the invitation for the future vice presidential candidate to participate in a debate on Fox News.
After Biden’s departure and Harris quickly rising to the top of the Democratic candidate list, Vance expressed disappointment that he would not have the chance to face Harris on stage.
“I was told I would be debating Kamala Harris, and now President Trump will be debating her? I’m a bit frustrated about that, if I’m being honest with you,” Vance said at a rally in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, last month.
