Sen. Tim Kaine (pictured) will debate Mike Pence. | AP Photo/Andrew Harnik Everything you need to know about today's 2016 vice presidential debate

When is the vice presidential debate?

The vice presidential debate will take place on Oct. 4 at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia.


What time is the vice presidential debate and how long is it?

The debate will start at 9 p.m. Eastern Time and is scheduled to run for 90 minutes without commercial breaks.

Who is in the vice presidential debate?

Sen. Tim Kaine, a senator from Virginia and Hillary Clinton’s running mate, will debate Mike Pence, the governor of Indiana and running mate to Donald Trump. Pence is a first term governor of Indiana who previously served over a decade in Congress. Kaine is a former Democratic National Committee chairman who also served as governor of Virginia and mayor of Richmond.

How can I watch the vice presidential debate?

The debate will be broadcast on all major television networks and cable channels. C-SPAN will also air the debate.

Who will moderate the vice presidential debate?

Elaine Quijano of CBS News will be the debate’s sole moderator. She is a correspondent for CBS News and an anchor for CBSN, the digital streaming network for CBS. This election, Quijano covered 2016 debates and both the Republican and Democratic national conventions for CBS. In 2011, Quijano revealed in a CBS Evening News report that the White House did not send condolence letters to the families of military personnel who had committed suicide. That report spurred the Obama administration to reverse that policy.

Quijano, a Chicago-area native of Filipino descent, is also the first Asian American moderator for a general election debate.

What is the format of the vice presidential debate?

The debate is divided into nine 10-minute segments. Quijano will start each segment with an opening question and then Kaine and Pence will each have two minutes to respond. Quijano will also use the leftover time in each segment to dive deeper into the discussion topic.

How have Pence and Kaine been preparing?

Pence has held mock practice debates with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker standing in for Kaine. In Kaine’s preparation, Robert Barnett, a high-profile Washington lawyer, has been playing Pence.

What's at stake for the vice presidential candidates?

Kaine is hoping to build off Clinton’s performance in the first presidential debate, as well as to keep the conversation focused on Trump’s foibles. Pence, meanwhile, will look to bolster his ticket, articulate its policy vision and draw attention to Clinton’s weak points and controversial episodes.

Why aren’t Gary Johnson and Jill Stein’s vice presidential nominees included?

Bill Weld, running mate to Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson, and Ajamu Baraka, running mate to Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein, were not invited by the presidential debate commission. The VP candidates were admitted in connection with their running mates. The commission said it would only invite candidates who averaged 15 percent in five national polls it selected. Neither Johnson nor Stein made that threshold.

What is the most watched vice presidential debate?

The 2008 presidential cycle debate between then-Sen. Joe Biden and then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the most watched vice presidential debate to date, attracting 69.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Ratings. That debate broke the previous standing record of Rep. Geraldine Ferraro debating then-Vice President George H.W. Bush in 1984, which had a viewership of 56.7 million viewers.

How many people watched the first presidential debate between Trump and Clinton?

The first 2016 general election debate between Clinton and Trump broke previous records by attracting 84 million viewers according to Nielsen. Before that it was the first 1980 debate between then-President Jimmy Carter and Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan, where 80.6 million people watched.