All eyes will be on the debate stage on Tuesday evening, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump face each other for the first time.
According to Donna Crane, a professor at San Jose State University, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
“I think it will draw record viewership, and I think it will be a game-changer for both candidates,” Crane said.
Both candidates are neck-and-neck in many of the crucial swing states.
Crane said whatever happens on that stage could be all it takes to get those critical voters on side.
“Every candidate is going to compete for their votes by explaining the election in terms favorable to them,” Crane said.
Crane said Trump should focus on the economy and immigration. For Harris, she said, the goal is to move forward, not backward, especially on issues like reproductive rights and democracy.
“Both candidates want to not only reach a larger share of voters, but also to grow their support. By that I mean they want to get more people out who initially weren’t planning on voting, but who maybe only after seeing or hearing something decide to vote for that person,” Crane said.
Former California Republican Party chairman turned author Tom Del Beccaro, who himself debated Vice President Harris during their 2016 Senate race, said he expects this debate to be very different from the Trump-Biden debate.
“Trump will probably be similar, but Kamala is a completely different entity. She speaks well. The question is whether she does well in this format under so much pressure,” Del Beccaro said.
Crane suggested that the audience should focus more on the candidates’ words than on the way they deliver their speeches. He suggested that the audience should prepare for the debate and consume it.
“There are two very different visions of America in the future and there’s a lot of content in there. It would be great if people, if we all, paid attention to that,” Crane said.
