Elaine Quijano of CBS News to moderate vice presidential debate

Excerpted from CBS News:

CBSN anchor and CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano has been named the moderator of the 2016 vice presidential debate, the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced today. Quijano will be the first anchor of a digital network to moderate a national debate in a general election campaign.

The debate will be held Tuesday, October 4, at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. It will be the only debate between the two vice presidential nominees, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine and Republican Governor Mike Pence. The 90-minute debate will be presented live, without commercial interruption, at 9:00 p.m. ET on the CBS Television Network and CBSN.

“It’s an honor to be chosen to help bring the issues of this critical election to the public,” said Quijano.

“Elaine connects today’s digital audiences with this historic 2016 campaign​,” said CBS News President David Rhodes. “Her perspective, dedication to political reporting, and important role on CBS News’s live-streaming platform make her an ideal choice to lead the only vice presidential debate this fall.”

Quijano leads political coverage on CBSN, the CBS News 24-hour digital streaming network, and has anchored CBSN coverage of primary, debate and political convention nights throughout the 2016 presidential campaign. Quijano anchors weekdays on CBSN as well as the Sunday edition of CBS Weekend News. Additionally, her reporting is regularly featured on “CBS This Morning” and the “CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley.”

The vice presidential debate will cover a broad range of topics to help voters learn more about the candidates and their positions on the issues. The commission organizing the debates said the time will be divided into nine segments with about 10 minutes of discussion on each topic, and noted that the moderator alone will determine the questions to be asked.

In addition to the vice presidential debate, there are three presidential debates​​​ scheduled this fall between Donald Trump​ and Hillary Clinton​. The first, to be held September 26 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, will be moderated by NBC News’ Lester Holt. The second, on October 9, will be moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper and ABC News’ Martha Raddatz at Washington University in St. Louis; this debate will be a town-hall meeting style format that will also feature questions from the audience. The third debate, on October 19 at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, will be moderated by “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace.

Photo credit: CBS News