Pence and Harris prep for the first and only vice presidential debate
Vice President Mike Pence and Democrat Kamala Harris will meet on the debate stage for the first and only time Wednesday night in Utah.
But even though the two No. 2s are major figures in their own right, insiders expect most of the drama of the VP debate to be aimed at their bosses: President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.
Harris, in particular, is sure to speak past Pence and train most of her attacks on Trump.
“Even though it is a vice presidential debate, the debate is about Donald Trump and Joe Biden,” a Biden campaign aide told CNN. “And it is all about making the case for why ... Donald Trump has failed.”
Pence, on the other hand, will likely play the loyal lieutenant to Trump and seek to portray Biden as a captive of the radical left-wing of the Democratic Party.
And there will be a third notable presence on the stage in Salt Lake City: A plexiglass barrier designed to protect the candidates from COVID-19.
However, Harris will likely be the only one to stay behind protective glass.
Pence’s team filed an 11th-hour request Tuesday asking the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow the vice president to not be confined behind plexiglas but that Harris can “if she wants.” According to CNN, the commission will allow the vice president to skirt the plexiglass rule.
Still, the clear plastic sheeting expected in front of Harris will be an inescapable reminder of the virus that has killed more than 210,000 Americans on Trump’s watch — and may serve as a valuable prop for her as she rips the president for botching the response to the pandemic.
Beyond the plexiglass, Harris and Pence will stand 12 feet apart instead of the expected seven feet after Trump’s positive coronavirus test. The 90-minute clash will be moderated by Susan Page of USA Today.
Pence has rejected calls for him to quarantine after rubbing elbows at a Sept. 26 White House event with Trump and several other GOP loyalists who have since tested positive for COVID-19.
CDC guidelines call for anyone who comes into close contact with infected people to isolate themselves for 14 days.
But Dr. Jesse Schonau, Pence’s personal physician, gave the veep the green light to ignore the rules, pointing out that he has repeatedly tested negative for the deadly virus.
“Pence is encouraged to go about his normal activities and does not need to quarantine,” Schonau wroted in a memo released by the White House.
Pence and Harris both have reputations as more nimble and eloquent debaters than either of their bosses.
The vice president is a calm public speaker and is virtually unflappable. Unlike Trump, he is skilled at seamlessly turning harsh questions aside and pivoting to his own talking points.
Harris is a former prosecutor who is adept at relentlessly pinning down opponents. She famously rocked Biden during a Democratic primary debate by attacking him for his cozy past relationship with racist Southern Dixiecrats during the civil rights struggle.
The debate will be history-making for Harris, whose parents are immigrants from India and Jamaica. She becomes the first Black person and the first woman of South Asian descent to be a major party vice presidential nominee.
The clash will be closely watched for another reason: Pence and Harris are potential presidential candidates in 2024 no matter what the results of next month’s election.
Win or lose, Pence is the most recognizable Republican leader after the president and could be a frontrunner to succeed Trump.
If Biden wins, Harris will instantly become the odds-on favorite to succeed him either in 2024 or 2028. Even if he loses, Harris’ role as Biden’s running mate would make her a formidable force in the Democratic Party.
With Chris Sommerfeldt
