College of Charleston professor shares what to expect during Harris-Trump debate

PHILADELPHIA (WCBD)- Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will square off in Philadelphia on Tuesday night as the two-month sprint to Election Day continues.

The 90-minute debate, hosted by ABC News, will have no live audience and muted microphones — similar rules to the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden.

It will also be the first time Harris and Trump meet face to face, a reminder of how the race has changed since Biden withdrew in late July.

Current polling shows the two major party candidates in a tight race, especially in key battleground states where they are virtually tied.

National polling averages from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill show Harris with a three-point lead over Trump in a general election matchup. But in Pennsylvania — where the debate is being held — less than a percentage point separates the two.

With less than 60 days until the election, Tuesday’s debate could prove consequential as Trump looks to regain footing in the race and Harris tries to capitalize on the momentum she has built.

Experts predict millions of voters will be watching.

“Even though we have had quite the year in presidential politics, we are just now finally to the traditional campaign season,” said Dr. Josh Bramlett, a political science professor at the University of Alabama. “More voters start to tune in. Based on that and other factors, I expect to see the Harris-Trump debate garner huge audiences and much more than the 51 million who watched the Biden-Trump debate in June.”

Research shows that debates are most impactful when there are many undecided voters, interest in the campaign is high, the race is close, and one of the candidates is lesser known. Bramlett said all of these factors are in play for Tuesday’s showdown.

“Debates are the best opportunity to learn about candidates and so I anticipate millions of people to watch to learn more about Kamala Harris and to also watch to see the dynamic between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris,” he added.

To prepare, Harris has been engaging in extended mock sessions in Pittsburgh while Trump is holding policy sessions, according to NBC News.

Karyn Amira, a political science professor at the College of Charleston, said she will be watching to see how the candidates handle questions about their most vulnerable issues — abortion and border security — as well as if they target certain voters with their responses.

“I am interested if Trump will speak in ways that try to attract younger men because that is the demographic he seems to be going after currently,” she said. “Kamala Harris is probably going to be speaking to the median voter or somewhere in the middle who is maybe undecided.”

But, how each of their performances are framed afterward could be just as important as what happens on the stage, Amira suggested.

“Usually there is sort of a fight to see who can lower their own expectations more so that they can exceed them and then be dubbed the winner, but both of them in different ways are being criticized online and by the news media that they are not great at answering questions on the spot, so that’s what is interesting here,” she said.

Viewers can watch full coverage of the second presidential debate beginning at 8 p.m. on News 2.