Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, accused his Republican counterpart, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, on Tuesday of working to “demonize” immigrants by fabricating a widely debunked rumor that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio have eaten residents’ pets.

The matchup could have an impact on critical undecided voters. The vice-presidential debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance could prove to be a major factor in the presidential election -- given how close the race is and its potential impact with undecided voters. The 90-minute CBS News showdown started at 9 p.m. ET in New York City. ABC News Digital will live blog throughout the debate. Stay with ABC News for post-debate analysis on air and online. Vance and Walz started at their podiums for tonight's debate, so far the only scheduled matchup between the two vice presidential nominees. Debates are big deals, and it’s tempting to treat tonight like a potential game-changer in the campaign. But the reality is, most people who are planning to watch tonight aren’t still candidate-shopping. A YouGov/CBS News poll from late last week asked people who were planning to watch the debate why they were planning to do so; 71% said to root for their party’s candidate and 61% said to see if the other side made a mistake. Only 24% said to help them decide who to vote for. —538’s Nathaniel Rakich Vice President Kamala Harris gave her running mate a good luck sendoff in a post on X less than 10 minutes before the debate started. "@TimWalz, it's game time," she said. "I am excited for the country to see you in action." -ABC News' Oren Oppenheim_ The Ohio town was at the center of a political firestorm after Vance and Trump amplified false claims that Haitian migrants were eating people's pets. Voters there told ABC News' Terry Moran what they want to hear from both campaigns in these final weeks of the race. "They know the city is on a recovering path," Moran said. "What they want is practical, pragmatic solutions to the problems they face. If there are going to be immigrants in this community that don't speak the language, they need more help with the translation. They need more resources for primary care, for school teachers." "They want to hear fewer memes, more solutions." Read more about what unfolded in Springfield and Vance's false claims about the migrants there. A mural is displayed in an alley downtown, Sept. 16, 2024, in Springfield, Ohio.