Meet tonight’s vice president debate moderators, Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan

The Vice President Debate between Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz takes place on Tuesday, hosted by CBS News in New York.

It is the first and only meeting between the two vice presidential candidates and comes as voters in several states have begun receiving their ballots for the November election.

The debate will be moderated by “CBS Evening News” anchor and editor-in-chief Norah O’Donnell and “Face the Nation” anchor and chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan.

There will be no audience for it the debateand only O’Donnell and Brennan will ask questions. Here’s what you should know about the presenters and how they prepare:

How O’Donnell and Brennan prepared for tonight’s vice presidential debate

O’Donnell said the vice presidential debate was a “unique opportunity for the American public to see the two vice presidential candidates debate the issues most important to voters.”

“We recognize the historic nature of these debates; and our goal as moderators is to ensure a substantive and civil conversation that helps voters understand more about the potentially complex policy positions,” she said.

“Margaret and I are fortunate to be working with the CBS News policy team and researchers to prepare for this debate,” O’Donnell added. “They worked with us to ensure we had all the information we needed to have an objective conversation.”

Brennan said she viewed moderating the debate as “a public service to the viewer.”

“We examined each campaign’s views on policies and our issues CBS News poll “Show us that people care,” she said. “Our goal is to give these two vice presidential candidates the opportunity to make their case to the American people and provide contrast on the debate stage.”

Brennan said preparing to moderate the debate was “like cramming for a final exam,” noting that it involves “a lot of reading, note-taking and discussing with my colleagues how to frame a smart question.”

“We have an incredible team working with us to think through the questions that reflect what our own CBS News poll tells us what matters to voters ahead of November,” she said.

The “Face the Nation” host said preparing for the debate is similar in some ways to preparing for an interview, but different in key ways.

“In both cases, I make sure I fully understand the facts and the nuances of the policy positions,” she said. “But moderating a debate is a different format than what I do on ‘Face the Nation,’ where I follow up, follow up, and follow up again when I don’t get an answer to my question or when I feel like an answer. “ In a debate there is a formula with hard Deadlines for Norah’s and my questioning.

She added: “The intention is also different. In a debate, we provide a public service and that is to start a conversation in which the candidates themselves use the time to explain why their policies are best for Americans” – and why their ticket should be elected.”

What is Norah O’Donnell’s background?

O’Donnell has won multiple Emmy Awards over her nearly three decades in journalism. She is covering her eighth presidential election and has interviewed every living president of the United States.

Since 2019, she has been anchor and editor-in-chief of “CBS Evening News,” CBS News’ flagship program from Washington, DC. O’Donnell recently nabbed an award Historical interview with Pope Francis.

O’Donnell has conducted interviews with newsmakers in Washington and beyond for the “CBS Evening News,” including President Biden’s first interview since taking office; an exclusive meeting with Vice President Mike Pence following the assassination of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani; the first-ever interview with the four highest-ranking women in the U.S. military; an exclusive interview with a former aide to the then-governor of New York. Andrew Cuomo, who alleged sexual harassment; and more.

She also appears on “60 Minutes” and hosts “Person to Person” on CBS News 24/7.

O’Donnell joined CBS News in 2011 as chief White House correspondent and co-hosted “CBS This Morning” from 2012 to 2019.

She began her career as a print reporter for Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, before spending more than a decade at NBC News, where she covered the Pentagon, Congress and the White House. O’Donnell is a graduate of Georgetown University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

What is Margaret Brennan’s background?

Brennan has hosted “Face the Nation” since 2018, when she became the second woman to host the prestigious Sunday morning public affairs show. She has interviewed world leaders such as Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as congressional leaders such as House Speakers Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy and Nancy Pelosi.

In 2023, “Face the Nation” won a Walter Cronkite Award for excellence in political television journalism, citing Brennan’s moderation approach as “measured, fully consistent, researched and prepared.”

Before becoming host of “Face the Nation,” she held various positions at CBS News, including State Department and White House correspondent. She remains the channel’s chief foreign affairs correspondent.

She has covered historic moments such as the landmark Iran nuclear deal; restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba; the standoff with North Korea; the conflict in Ukraine; and the agreement transferring control of Syria’s chemical weapons. She broke the news that members of Trump’s Cabinet were discussing invoking the 25th Amendment following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and her 2023 interview with McCarthy played a role just days later his removal as speaker.

She began her career as a producer at CNBC and covered global financial markets for a decade before joining CBS News in 2012. Brennan graduated from the University of Virginia in 2002.

CBS News will host the only scheduled vice presidential debate between Vance and Walz tonight at 9pm ET on CBS and CBS News around the clock. Download the free CBS News app for live reporting, post-debate analysis, comprehensive fact-checking and more.