Tim Walz and JD Vance will go head to head in a vice-presidential debate on Wednesday AEST that follows the political sledges and seemingly endless memes of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’s televised match last month.
It’s an important moment for Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, and Vance, a Republican senator from Ohio, as two lower-profile politicians who will probably stay on the national scene for years to come.
Abortion, Project 2025, climate crisis, military service and that claim about cats and dogs are among the questions likely to come up in the debate, which will not be held in front of a live audience.
Here’s what Australians can expect.
How can I watch the VP debate and what time is it?
The vice-presidential debate will begin at 11am AEST on Wednesday 1 October and run for 90 minutes.
You can watch the debate on the Guardian or follow along on our live blog, where staff will be providing updates and scrutinising claims made by both vice-presidential candidates.
Broadcaster CBS, which is hosting the debate, will be streaming the debate on its website and YouTube channel.
Who have Harris and Trump chosen as their VP picks?
Vance, Trump’s proposed second-in charge, is the author of Hillbilly Elegy, a former Silicon Valley investor and a never-Trumper turned Maga superstar.
Walz, Harris’s pick, is a former geography teacher and Amerian football coach, whose foray into politics in 2006 saw him rise the ranks to chair of the Democratic Governors Association.
Some Australians say the “Oz-coded” Walz bears a striking resemblance to the current and several former Australian PMs at once, including Anthony Albanese, Kevin Rudd and Scott Morrison.
Have Australian leaders shown a preference for Vance or Walz?
Not openly. In July, Peter Dutton, sent his congratulations to JD Vance when Trump announced the VP pick. But the opposition leader stressed the Australian government would continue to work closely with its US counterpart “regardless of whether it’s a Democrat or a Republican administration”.
Anthony Albanese channelled Harris and Walz’s categorisation of Trump and Vance as “just weird” when Australia’s PM called Barnaby Joyce “weird” over comments at an anti-windfarm rally in July.
