Tim Walz and J.D. Vance Found the Perfect Stand-Ins to Play Their Opponents During VP Debate Prep

In order to practice their debate responses and brace for potential attacks on stage, the vice presidential candidates enlisted some high-profile help

With the 2024 vice presidential debate just days away, Democrat Tim Walz and Republican J.D. Vance have been hard at work preparing for their only official face-off before the November election — including by practicing against fake opponents.

Sources familiar tell PEOPLE that, in order to practice their debate responses and brace for potential attacks on stage, the VP candidates enlisted high-profile stand-ins to play their opponents. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been standing in as Vance during Walz's debate prep, and Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer has been playing Walz in Vance's rehearsals.

Buttigieg, 42, stands out as one of the sharpest communicators in modern-day politics, and he has routinely gone viral for shutting down misleading statements in TV interviews and congressional hearings by reciting facts from memory.

Vance, 40, has similarly been praised by Republicans for talking his way out of tough spots during interviews, making Buttigieg a fitting stand-in to try and throw Walz off his game in rehearsals. Plus, they both have military backgrounds.

Buttigieg previously played the part of Mike Pence while Kamala Harris was preparing for her VP debate in 2020.

Related: 'Exhilarating, Exhausting, Wonderful': Inside Pete Buttigieg's World as He Tries to Make History Running for President

Over in Vance's rehearsals, the role of Minnesota Gov. Walz was given to Emmer. As the House majority whip — a role that requires persuading House Republicans to vote on party lines — Emmer, 63, is a professional messenger for the GOP platform.

Walz, 60, has made his Midwest roots a significant part of his political identity, and Emmer's familiarity with the state and its politics could help him predict Walz's approach. Like with Buttigieg and Vance, Emmer and Walz are close in age and bear some physical similarities, which helps with the illusion.

Before becoming President Joe Biden's transportation secretary, Buttigieg joined the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries in an effort to defeat Donald Trump. Born and raised in the Midwest, he is a Navy veteran. He is also a Harvard alum and a former Rhodes Scholar.

Last October, Emmer was nominated by House Republicans to become the next House speaker. He quickly dropped out of the race, though, when it became clear that he did not have enough support to win the speaker election.

As the third-most powerful Republican in the House, Emmer seemed to be an obvious choice for the position after previous nominees Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan also failed to secure the necessary votes to win. The speakership eventually went to little-known Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson.

Related: What to Know About Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer

The vice presidential debate will be hosted by CBS News on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.

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