Update: Here is NewsHour's piece from Oct. 2 recapping the debate, A look at the potential political impact of the Walz-Vance debate.
SUMMARY
With just more than a month to go before Election Day, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance and Democrat vice presidential nominee Tim Walz met for their first and only debate on Oct. 1, hosted by CBS in New York.
In the 90 minute debate, the two addressed issues ranging from climate change to gun violence, abortion and immigration.
Read the AP article 9 takeaways from the Vance-Walz VP debate to learn more.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Who are the two vice presidential candidates? What do you know about their backgrounds?
- What were some of the issues highlighted in these clips?
- Why do you think certain issues were brought up by the candidates or the moderators in the debate?
- When is the 2024 presidential election?
- How did the candidates explain differences in their platforms on major topics such as the economy?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
- Who do you think did a stronger job in the debate based on the clips you watched? Explain. Why might it be important to watch the full debate instead of just highlight clips?
- How important do you think vice presidential debates are in voters' minds?
Media literacy: Why is it important to make up your own mind as to how the candidates performed rather than listen to political pundits and commentators afterwards?
Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?
FOR MORE
What students can do:
You may want to check out one of the key moments in the debate including:
Vance won’t say Trump lost 2020 election. Walz says that’s a ‘damning non-answer'
Trump ‘made the world more secure,’ Vance says
Vance and Walz on gun violence in schools
OR choose your own clip that you have are most interested in watching from the many listed here:
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