Tim Walz takes up CBS News' offer for vice presidential debate

Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has accepted an invitation from CBS News to a vice presidential debate Oct. 1 with Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), according to Fox News.

Walz responded the invitation with a post to X, which read simply, "See you on Oct. 1, JD." This was followed up by a statement from the Harris campaign, which read, "Harris for President has accepted CBS' invitation to a vice presidential candidate debate on October 1. Governor Walz looks forward to debating JD Vance — if he shows up."

Vance appeared to deflect on Fox News on Wednesday evening when asked whether he would accept the invitation.

This comes after extensive drama surrounding whether former President Donald Trump would agree to debate Harris, initially claiming he would not agree to the debate without Harris being officially selected as the Democratic nominee, then demanding a debate lineup that included Fox News. Last week, Trump agreed to participate in debates.

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Walz's acceptance of the debate comes amid sharp attacks on him by Vance. Both men are military veterans, and Vance is asserting, to the outrage of some veterans' groups, that Walz retiring after 24 years in the Army National Guard before his unit deployed to Iraq is a form of "stolen valor."

On the flip side, Vance has faced criticism for his history of remarks about childless women, dismissing them as "cat ladies" and saying they don't have a stake in America's future.

This comes as former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), who previously debated Vance in the 2022 Senate election, is publicly offering advice to Walz about his vulnerabilities and weaknesses.