Meet the moderators for tonight’s VP debate, Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan
The vice presidential debate between Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will take place on Tuesday, hosted by CBS News in New York.
It is the first and only meeting between the two vice presidential candidates and comes as voters in several states have begun receiving their ballots for November’s election.
The debate will be moderated by “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell and “Face the Nation” moderator and chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan.
There will be no audience for the debate, and only O’Donnell and Brennan will be asking questions. Here’s what to know about the moderators and how they’re preparing:
How O’Donnell and Brennan prepared for tonight’s VP debate
O’Donnell said the vice presidential debate is a “unique opportunity for the American public to see the two vice presidential candidates debate the most important issues for voters.”
“We recognize the historic nature of these debates; and our goal as moderators is to ensure a substantive and civil conversation that helps voters understand more about what can be complex policy positions,” she said.
“Margaret and I are fortunate to work with the CBS News political team and researchers to help prepare for this debate,” O’Donnell added. “They’ve worked with us to make sure we have all the information we need for a substantive conversation.”
Brennan said she thinks of moderating the debate “as a public service to the viewer.”
“We’ve been studying each campaign’s views on policies and the issues our CBS News polling show us people care about,” she said. “Our goal is to give these two vice presidential candidates opportunities to make their case to the American people and draw a contrast to the other on the debate stage.”
Brennan said preparing to moderate the debate is “like cramming for a final exam,” noting that it takes “a lot of reading, taking notes, talking it through with my colleagues about how to craft a smart question.”
“We have an incredible team who is working with us to think through the questions that reflect what our own CBS News polling tells us voters care about ahead of November,” she said.
The “Face the Nation” moderator said that preparing for the debate is similar in some ways to preparing for an interview, but different in key respects.
“In both cases, I’m making sure that I’m fully read-in on the facts as well as the nuances of policy positions,” she said. “But moderating a debate is a different format from what I do on ‘Face the Nation,’ where I follow up, follow up and follow up again if I don’t get an answer to my question, or if I feel like an answer deserves further explanation. In a debate, there is a formula with hard time limits for Norah’s and my questioning.”
She added: “The intent is different, too. In a debate, we’re performing a public service and that is to tee up a conversation in which the candidates use the time themselves to make their case about why their policy is best for Americans — and why their ticket should be elected.”
What is Norah O’Donnell’s background?
O’Donnell has earned multiple Emmy Awards over her nearly three decades of experience in journalism. She is covering her eighth presidential election and has interviewed every living president of the United States.
She has been anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News” since 2019, leading CBS News’ flagship broadcast from Washington, D.C. O’Donnell recently secured a historic interview with Pope Francis.
O’Donnell has conducted interviews with newsmakers in Washington and beyond for the “CBS Evening News,” including President Biden’s first interview since taking office; an exclusive sit-down with Vice President Mike Pence after the killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani; the first-ever interview with the four highest-ranking women in the U.S. military; an exclusive interview with a former staffer for New York’s then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo who alleged sexual harassment; and more.
She also contributes to “60 Minutes” and is the host of CBS News 24/7’s “Person to Person.”
O’Donnell joined CBS News in 2011 as chief White House correspondent and was the co-anchor of “CBS This Morning” from 2012 to 2019.
She began her career as a print reporter for Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, before working for more than a decade at NBC News, where she covered the Pentagon, Congress and the White House. O’Donnell is a graduate of Georgetown University’s College of Arts and Sciences.
What is Margaret Brennan’s background?
Brennan has been moderator of “Face the Nation” since 2018, when she became the second woman to host the prestigious Sunday morning public affairs program. She has interviewed world leaders like Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as congressional leaders including House Speakers Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy and Nancy Pelosi.
In 2023, “Face the Nation” was recognized with a Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in TV Political Journalism, citing Brennan’s moderating approach as “measured, completely consistent, researched and prepared.”
Before becoming moderator of “Face the Nation,” she held several roles at CBS News, including State Department and White House correspondent. She remains the network’s chief foreign affairs correspondent.
She has covered historic moments such as the landmark nuclear deal with Iran; restoration of diplomatic ties with Cuba; the standoff with North Korea; the conflict in Ukraine; and the accord to transfer control of Syria’s chemical weapons. She broke the news that members of Trump’s Cabinet were discussing invoking the 25th Amendment following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and her interview with McCarthy in 2023 played a role in his ouster as speaker just days later.
She began her career as a producer at CNBC and spent a decade covering global financial markets before joining CBS News in 2012. Brennan graduated from the University of Virginia in 2002.
CBS News will host the only planned vice presidential debate between Vance and Walz tonight at 9 p.m. ET on CBS and CBS News 24/7. Download the free CBS News app for live coverage, post-debate analysis, comprehensive fact checks and more.
