JD Vance vs. Tim Walz: Who Won the Vice Presidential Debate? And How Did the Moderators Do? Vote!
Five weeks before Americans will cast their ballots for either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, the candidates’ respective running mates — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance — faced off in a vice-presidential debate.
CBS Evening News’ Norah O’Donnell and Face the Nation’s Margaret Brennan moderated the 90-minute debate from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City, where they sought to ensure a civilized discussion. No topics or questions were shared with the candidates beforehand, and no props or pre-written notes were allowed on stage.
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Like the Trump vs. Harris debate, there were no opening remarks. Vance and Walz had two minutes to answer each question, with two additional minutes allowed for rebuttals and an extra minute for follow-ups. CBS News reserved the right to turn off candidate microphones, and they were not permitted to ask each other questions.
After a coin flip to decide, Vance chose to deliver the last closing statement.
More than 67 million viewers tuned in for the Sept. 10 presidential debate between former President Trump and and Vice President Harris. In a TVLine reader poll, 74% of respondents said that Harris won, while ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis received a reader grade of “C+.”
In the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle, held on June 27, Trump trounced President Joe Biden (with 69% of the vote), while CNN moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash earned a “C+.” Biden’s performance elevated concerns about his age and acuity, and set in motion a series of events that led the incumbent POTUS to ultimately drop out of the 2024 race.
So, how did O’Donnell and Brennan do? And did Vance fare better against Walz than Trump fared against Harris? TVLine invites you to weigh in via the following polls, then partake in a civil discussion about Tuesday’s VP debate in the comments.
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