Vice presidential debate primer
What you need to know as Sen. Kamala Harris faces off with Mike Pence.
President Trump’s recent hospitalization could raise the stakes for Wednesday’s debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris.
Vice presidential debates usually draw far lower viewership than presidential debates. But with Trump’s COVID- 19 and his age, 74, and the age of Democratic rival Joe Biden, 77, there may be more interest due to speculation that Pence or Harris could wind up as president.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the debate:
When and where can I see the debate?
It starts at 6 p. m. Pacific time Wednesday and lasts 90 minutes, with Susan Page, Washington bureau chief at USA Today, as moderator.
ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC will air and stream the debate from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. C- SPAN will air it on TV and stream it on its website and on YouTube.
Do vice presidential debates matter?
A vice presidential debate has never decided the outcome of an election, and they draw far less interest than presidential debates.
The exception, according to Pew, was in 2008, when more people watched Biden and Sarah Palin debate than watched any of the debates between Barack Obama and John McCain.
Some have called for the Commission on Presidential Debates to do away with vice presidential debates. But this matchup has gained significance in light of Trump being hospitalized and given steroids and experimental treatment for COVID- 19.
“This is going to be wellobserved, I think,” said Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., a cochairman of the debate commission.
How do Pence and Harris compare?
Pence, 61, already knew Washington when he became vice president in 2017, having served 12 years in Congress before being elected Indiana governor in 2012.
He has described himself as “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.”
As head of the Trump administration’s coronavirus task force, he will probably face questions about the response to COVID- 19, which has killed more than 210,000 Americans.
Harris, 55, is the f irst Black woman and first Asian American to run nationally on a major- party ticket. She was elected to the Senate in 2016 after two terms as California attorney general.
Last year, during her 10month presidential campaign, one of the most notable moments was when she laced into Biden in the f irst Democratic debate over his opposition to mandatory school busing in the 1970s.
Top moments from past VP debates
Probably the biggest burn was in 1988, when second- term Republican Sen. Dan Quayle faced off against seasoned Democratic Sen. Lloyd Bentsen. Quayle attempted to liken his own limited Senate experience to John F. Kennedy’s.
“Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine,” Bentsen said. “Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.”
In 1992, there was Adm. James Stockdale, Ross Perot’s running mate, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam who tried to make light of his lack of experience in politics. “Who am I? Why am I here?” he asked.
And who can forget Palin winking at least six times at 70 million viewers during the debate against Biden in 2008, after asking whether she could call him “Joe.”
What precautions are being taken?
Pence met with the president in the Oval Office last week — days before Trump tested positive for coronavirus infection.
In a memo Tuesday, Pence’s physician said the vice president had not had any COVID- 19 symptoms and did not need to quarantine. He is being tested daily.
Still, the debate commission has increased the distance between the candidates’ chairs to 12 feet. On Monday it said it would use plexiglass barriers, a request from Biden’s campaign.
Pence’s team initially mocked the request and rejected barriers near him. But on Tuesday night, Fahrenkopf said Pence agreed to leave the plexiglass up on his side if it would make Harris feel safer. The Cleveland Clinic, health advisor to the commission, had recommended the barriers, Fahrenkopf said.