By picking Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, Kamala Harris will be ready to go for a potential vice presidential debate against JD Vance, the Republican nominee. However, the status of this debate is still uncertain, with both campaigns refusing to commit to it.
Canceled Vice Presidential debate
There had been an earlier schedule of September 25, 2024, for a vice presidential debate at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. It, however seemed to have been called off, likely due to the uncertainty of the Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee at that time.
Vance’s stipulation for debating Walz
It has been declared by Republican nominee JD Vance that he will “absolutely” debate Walz, but not until Walz’s nomination is declared officially. Vance said many times before that he wondered whether Walz was really committed to Harris as her running mate after the “little switcheroo” with President Biden and Harris.
Proposed debate dates and locations
If a vice presidential debate happens, it isn’t clear when and where it will be. The CPD originally floated a September 25, 2024, debate at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Now that event is scrapped, so the campaigns would have to agree on another time and place.
What a scrapped debate would mean
A vice presidential debate not taking place would be the first in an election cycle not to do so since 1980, when neither Republican nominee George H.W. Bush nor Democratic nominee Walter Mondale agreed to such an event. A debate denial will have robbed voters of their opportunity to view a real head-to-head between the two vice presidential nominees and their policy programs.
Debate moderators and format
If a debate does occur, the moderators and format are yet to be determined. In fact, the CPD announced that it would be revealing the moderators for the now-nixed September 25 debate, but since that debate is no longer happening, the public has not been told who the moderators would have been. The debate format, the length, how many questions of what nature will be asked, and the rules for the candidates are all settled upon between the campaigns.
The uncertainty over a 2024 vice presidential debate exemplifies the fluidity of the current political landscape. While Vance appeared to be itching for a debate with Walz, having no date or location nailed down leaves a veil of doubt on whether there will be such an event. As the campaigns further churn through troubled waters in this election cycle, it remains to be seen what opportunities voters will have to make a side-by-side comparison of the two vice presidential candidates before they cast their ballots.
