Tim Walz - JD Vance VP debate: Why won’t there be an audience in the studio?

Don’t expect much whooping and hollering at CBS Broadcast Center in New York City tonight when Democrat vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz debates his Republican counterpart JD Vance. That’s because there won’t be audience for the VP debate, just as there wasn’t for the two presidential debates we’ve witnessed in the run-up to the presidential election on November 2.

Why is there no audience at the VP debate?

There’s a pretty simple reason there won’t be audience at the VP debate between Walz and Vance - to avoid any disruptions, as confirmed by CBS News. That means the only people in the debate hall will be the candidates and moderators.

With a tightly controlled set-up, with nobody from the public to interrupt, the argument is that there should be a more focused discussion, allowing the candidates to throw more light on the issues, and avoid any playing to the gallery.

The last VP debate, between current presidential candidate Kamala Harris and then VP Mike Pence, was held back in 2020, in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic and also had no audience.

Last VP debate with a live audience

The last VP debate that featured a live audience was the match-up in 2016 between Senator Tim Kaine and Indiana Governor Mike Pence, who would go on to be VP under President Donald Trump. The debate was held at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia.

The “enthusiastic” live audience, as described by moderator Elaine Quijano, agreed to only show that enthusiasm at the start and end of the debate.