Kamala Harris’ campaign says the “debate about debates is over,” announcing Thursday that she and Tim Walz will participate in three total this fall.
Harris will debate Donald Trump twice, and Walz will take on JD Vance in a single debate, aired by CBS News on Oct. 1, according to the Harris-Walz campaign.
The statement puts to bed the constant speculation about debates that has bubbled up in recent days, including a challenge from Vance to Walz on Thursday morning to face off in a second VP debate.
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Vance’s challenge was unprecedented in U.S. politics. There has never been more than a single vice presidential debate in an election year and, with Thursday’s announcement by the Harris campaign, that status quo appears likely to remain.
Harris’ statement was the first time she has confirmed she will debate Trump a second time after their Sept. 10 showdown, which will be aired on ABC News. A set date and network for their second debate was not announced, but Harris’ campaign said it would be sometime in October.
Prior to the campaign’s announcement, Fox News had reportedly proposed a debate between Harris and Trump for Sept. 4 and NBC News had pushed to air one on Sept. 25. The networks are sure to be clamoring to secure the last Trump-Harris debate in October that now appears to be up for grabs.
Trump and Joe Biden had initially agreed to a trio of debates leading up to Election Day on Nov. 5. They had their first matchup on June 27, which was a disaster for Biden that ultimately led to him bow out of the race.
After Biden removed himself from the ticket in July, Trump initially said he wouldn’t debate Harris, claiming Democrats had cheated by calling on Harris despite her not winning the party’s primary. He relented under pressure later, however, and agreed to face off against Harris as many as three times.
