US Vice Presidential Candidate Also Plans Big TV Debate Match

A plan is underway to hold a TV debate between U.S. vice presidential candidates on October 1. If this debate takes place, it is expected to be another big match following the presidential candidate TV debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on September 10.

According to Yonhap News and foreign media, Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate and governor of Minnesota, has reportedly agreed to participate in the TV debate held in New York on October 1, hosted by CBS, the broadcasting company.

However, CBS reported that the Trump campaign has not yet agreed on the date, so Senator Vance's participation is still under discussion.

Governor Walz expressed his intention to attend the debate on X (formerly Twitter) saying, "See you on October 1, JD."

Senator Vance did not respond to reporters' questions about whether he would accept the debate proposal while returning from an event held in Michigan that day, but later said in an interview with Fox News that he was willing to participate.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the Fox News interview, Senator Vance said, "We will definitely debate Tim Walz," but added, "We only heard about this three hours ago. So we need to talk to them and figure out when we can debate."

Representing the clear progressive and conservative lines of the Democratic and Republican parties respectively, the two, who have been likened to the 'attack dogs' of Harris and Trump, are expected to fiercely compete for the support of the working class and middle class, asserting themselves as the ideal representatives of the middle class, and engage in a comprehensive clash over various issues if the debate is finalized.

Both 60-year-old Governor Walz and 40-year-old Senator Vance grew up in working-class families in the American heartland and share the common experience of military service. However, their political orientations diverge sharply as 'hardline progressive' and 'hardline conservative,' and their life histories contrast.

Governor Walz is a former high school teacher and American football coach, while Senator Vance built his wealth working as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley.

In the 2020 presidential election, Vice President Harris faced off once in a TV debate against then Vice President Mike Pence, her counterpart. That debate attracted significant attention, recording the second-highest viewership in the history of U.S. vice presidential TV debates.