Who is Margaret Brennan? What to know about CBS anchor moderating the Walz-Vance debate
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris' running mates and vice presidential nominees, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, are set to face each other in a hotly anticipated debate on Tuesday on CBS News that is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET.
Vance and Walz will face off for the first, and perhaps the only time, at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. The 90-minute debate will have two four-minute commercial breaks and no live audience, similar to the presidential debate.
"See you on October 1, JD," Walz posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Aug. 14.
Vance accepted the Oct. 1 debate the following day, while also proposing a debate for Sept. 18 on CNN. Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris' campaign, told CBS News later that day that Walz will only participate in the Oct. 1 debate.
Sharing moderating duties will be CBS anchors Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan.
VP Debate: Will Vance and Walz draw audiences like the record-breaking Biden-Palin debate?
Here's what you need to know about moderator and CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan.
Who is Margaret Brennan? Current job, show
Margaret Brennan, 44, is the moderator of "Face the Nation" on CBS News and the network's chief foreign affairs correspondent. She is also a contributing correspondent to "60 Minutes."
Brennan joined CBS News in 2012 and has been the moderator of "Face the Nation" since February 2018. During her time at CBS News, she held multiple positions, including State Department and White House correspondent, "while contributing across all CBS News broadcasts and platforms," her bio on the network website says.
Over the course of her career, the award-winning journalist has interviewed world leaders including Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump, former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and House Speakers Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy and Nancy Pelosi.
She has also reported extensively from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Margaret Brennan's education
Brennan graduated with a bachelor's degree in foreign affairs and Middle East studies with a minor in Arabic from the University of Virginia in 2002. She also studied Arabic at Yarmouk University as a Fulbright-Hays Scholar in Irbid, Jordan, her bio on CBS News says.
Brennan began her career as a producer for CNBC's "Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser" and spent a decade covering the global financial markets for CNBC, NBC and later Bloomberg Television.
Has Margaret Brennan ever moderated a debate before?
While Brennan has been on the forefront of political news coverage, this is the first time she will be moderating a general election vice presidential debate.
On Sept. 15, Brennan interviewed Vance on "Face the Nation," where they discussed matters such as tax cuts and the migrant community in Ohio.
Is Margaret Brennan married?
Brennan is married to Yado Yakub and the couple has two boys. The two first met at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in 1998, according to People, and began dating in 2013 before getting married in April 2015 in Washington, D.C.
Brennan and her show "Face the Nation" are the recipient of several awards including the Emmys, the Walter Cronkite Award and the Wilbur Award among others.
Contributing: Gabe Hauari, Sudiksha Kochi, David Jackson, Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Margaret Brennan? What to know about the VP debate moderator