Recent political history may say that televised debates rarely materially change the dynamics of election contests, but this year’s US presidential campaign already represents the exception.
Everyone remembers the tragic night for Joe Biden on June 27 in his first and last confrontation with Donald Trump, which forced him to drop out of the race and hand over the baton to Kamala Harris shortly after.
With this recent precedent, and with the latest polls painting a very close matchup, the first debate between Harris and Trump takes on special significance.
With the November 5th presidential election less than two months away, the two candidates will cross swords tonight at the ABC television studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The televised duel will begin at 9 p.m. US East Coast time (4 a.m. Wednesday Greek time).
Radically different, both in political positions and temperament, the two candidates each spent the last twenty-four hours before the Philadelphia appointment in their own way.
Methodical and disciplined, as California Attorney General Kamala Harris has been, she locked herself over the weekend in a Pittsburgh hotel, always in Pennsylvania, where she prepared with the help of her associates for the two-minute straight answers she will be asked to give during the showdown .
For his part, Donald Trump, with his stainless confidence in his political instincts, once again avoided long hours of rehearsals and used the weekend to attend a series of pre-election rallies.
Donald Trump’s assets include his extensive television experience from his days as a reality show host and his good reflexes, the latest evidence of which was a raised fist to his supporters while he was covered in blood, immediately after the August 13 assassination attempt.
For her part, Harris can count on her composure and composure against an unpredictable opponent, and of course on the fact that she is nearly two decades younger than the Republican nominee.
Contenders are said to be gaining “momentum” and their good performances are seen as turning heads. In a Columbia University analysis between 1960 and 2008, however, the debates did not appear to influence voter opinion. There was little difference in the polls even after the debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016, with a record 84 million viewers. The 2020 debates stood out not for their impact on the polls, but for their acuity. Trump called Biden a fool, while the current president called his opponent a clown, before exasperatedly yelling: “You gonna screw it up, man?” No wonder the debates don’t sway voters. Those who watch them tend to already be interested in politics and have a formed opinion. The candidates, for their part, have plowed the country for months and are already known to the voters. The November elections, however, are different. Harris replaced Biden very late in the campaign. The vice president has recognition among Americans thanks to her tenure alongside Biden, as well as her unsuccessful bid for the nomination in 2020. But many Americans don’t know her well, which may work in her favor in the debate. So far, voters are responding positively to her candidacy. Her popularity skyrocketed after Biden announced his retirement. In the 2020 vice-presidential debate, Harris prevailed over Mike Pence. If she demonstrates similar talent today, she can win over the few critical voters who will propel her to the White House.
