Live Updates: JD Vance vs. Tim Walz Debate on CBS

Tim Walz and JD Vance.

Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance will face off Tuesday night in the only vice presidential debate of the 2024 election — and it could be the last time the two campaigns face off on stage.

The match between Walz, the 60-year-old governor of Minnesota, and Vance, the 40-year-old senator from Ohio, will be hosted by CBS News and will take place in New York without a live audience.

The debate coincides with major news stories at home and abroad – including recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene in the southeastern United States and the Middle East teetering on the brink as Israel escalates its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The debate will be moderated by CBS’s Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan. It begins at 9 p.m. ET and will be simulcast on CNN.

Here’s what to look for in the vice presidential debate:

The trainer against the ex-expert: The Middle American roots that lie at the core of Walz and Vance’s well-cultivated political identities will be on display Tuesday night when the two men, a heartbeat away from the presidency, pitch their biographies to the largest audience of voters they likely had to date.

Walz, a two-term governor and former congressman, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006. But expect him to take on the roles he held before entering politics: high school teacher and assistant football coach.

Vance, meanwhile, is a Marine veteran and the author of a best-selling book about his family’s Appalachian values ​​and the socioeconomic struggles of his hometown. He will likely highlight how he has prevailed over the former president in recent years, without making much mention of his past as a political commentator and harsh Trump critic.

Both candidates’ biographical presentations were born out of an effort to demonstrate their authenticity, a valuable political asset, especially in a race where undecided voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin could decide the outcome.

Voters’ decisions are overwhelmingly influenced by party leaders, and Walz and Vance will likely spend much of their time attacking Trump and Harris, respectively. But they could also spend time highlighting parts of their own biographies and trying to undermine those of their rivals – all in an effort to bolster their credibility with voters.

Read on here to find out more about it Five things to watch out for before today’s debate.