The first and potentially only presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is set for tonight at 9 p.m. on ABC News. The event will be simulcast on other networks and online.
This debate comes two days after a New York Times/Siena poll showed the race in a dead heat with a slight Trump lead, 48% to 47%. That is within the margin of error.
The poll reveals that despite Harris’ efforts to reach Midwest and white, non-college-educated voters — a must if she aims to win Pennsylvania and other key battleground states — she is trailing.
In a CBS News battleground state poll released yesterday, 53% of white Pennsylvanians who did not attend college said the economy will improve for working-class people if Trump wins, while only 27% said the same about Harris.
Voters polled in Michigan by CBS News showed that 58% of Trump voters listed the economy as a “major factor in [their] vote” as opposed to 42% for Harris. Republicans are leading with this statistic in their messaging.
“People remember that when Donald Trump was in office, prices were low, wages were high, we had peace and stability around the world,” said Republican Sen. Tom Cotton from Arkansas.
This is Harris’ first presidential debate. Top Democrats believe the most demanding part of the debate will be navigating Trump’s unpredictable behavior.
“Trump has done this seven times now,” said Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill from New Jersey. “He has a history of making a sort of mockery of this platform. How is she going to handle that?”
