Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) has finally agreed to a debate with former President Trump's running mate, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH).
The Democrat nominee for president, Vice President Kamala Harris, recently chose the governor of Minnesota as her running mate.
The debate between the two men has been booked by CBS for October 1 and is scheduled to take place in New York City, but Vance and the Trump campaign have yet to accept the offer.
“See you on October 1, JD.," said Walz in a tweet.
A Harris for President campaign official told CBS that Walz "looks forward to debating JD Vance — if he shows up," casting some doubt on Vance's appearance.
The two top contenders for the White House have already agreed to a Sept. 10 debate on ABC after weeks of negotiations.
President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, which put debates between the two campaigns in the lurch.
Biden was forced out in a coup by the Democrat leadership after his poor showing in a debate with Trump, which led to his vice president replacing him at the top of the ticket.
Trump picked Vance as his running mate on July 15, during the Republican National Convention, while Harris picked Walz over other contenders on July 22.
Walz has faced criticism for allegedly inflating his military service record and was accused by some of his former comrades in the Minnesota Army National Guard of retiring from the service rather than serve in Iraq and then later claiming to be a combat veteran for almost two decades.
The Democrat repeatedly referred to himself as a "retired command sergeant major," but according to the Minnesota National Guard, despite serving as a command sergeant major, his final rank at retirement was Master Sergeant, because he failed to complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, when he left in 2005.
Vance, a former Marine who served in Iraq, has publicly exchanged harsh words with the Minnesota governor regarding his service in the National Guard.
"I'm not criticizing Tim Walz's service," Vance told CNN. "I'm criticizing the fact that he lied about his service for political gain. I do think it's scandalous behavior."
In a speech to the the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Convention in Los Angeles this week, Walz complained, “These guys are attacking me for my record of service.”
“Let me be clear, I am damn proud of my service to our country. And I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person’s record of service. To anyone brave enough to put on the uniform of our great country, including my opponent, I just have a few simple words: Thank you for your service and sacrifice,” he added.
Harris, when she was still Joe Biden’s running mate, said in May that she was willing to debate the eventual Republican vice presidential nominee on July 23 or August 13, well before Vance even joined the Trump campaign.
Trump was initially reluctant to discuss details of a debate with Harris, but later agreed to do so after the major shakeup on the Democratic presidential ticket last month.
Trump said that he was willing to participate in three debates with Harris in September, to be hosted by Fox News, ABC News and NBC News, but his counterpart has only agreed so far to the Sept. 10 debate on ABC.
“I look forward to the debates because I think we have to set the record straight,” Trump said last week during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.
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