Pence-Harris debate to unfold as Trump recovers from virus

Vice President Mike Pence and his Democratic challenger, California Sen Kamala Harris, are poised to meet Wednesday for a debate which will offer starkly different visions for a country confronting escalating crises.

The faceoff in Salt Lake City may be the most highly anticipated vice presidential debate in recent memory. It'll unfold while President Donald Trump recovers at the White House after testing positive the other day for the coronavirus and spending several days in the hospital, a significant setback for his campaign that adds pressure on Pence to guard the administration's handling of the pandemic.

For Harris, the debate is her highest-profile possibility to vocalize how the Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, would stabilize the U.S., specially when it involves resolving the pandemic and addressing racial injustice. She'll be able to make clear her views on police, an area in which she's viewed warily by some progressives, given her past as a prosecutor.

Ultimately, the debate is a chance for voters to decide whether Pence and Harris are in a position to step in to the presidency at a moment's notice. It's hardly a theoretical question as the 74-year-old Trump combats the virus, and Biden, at 77, would become the oldest person to be president if he's elected.

While the debate will probably cover a range of topics, the virus will be at the forefront.

Pence and Harris can look on stage accurately 12.25 feet (3.7 meters) apart separated by plexiglass barriers. Anyone in the tiny audience who refuses to wear a mask will be asked to leave.

Pence, who was simply with Trump and others the other day who've since tested positive, has faced questions about whether he ought to be at the debate at all. The vice president has repeatedly tested negative for the virus, and his staff and doctors insist he does not need to quarantine under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

The CDC defines risky “close contact” to be within 6 feet (1.8 meters) of an infected person for at least a quarter-hour beginning with two days prior to the onset of symptoms or a positive test.

Pence's team objected to Harris’ obtain plexiglass barriers, arguing it was medically unnecessary. However the Commission on Presidential Debates had already decided to the barriers, and Pence’s aides said their occurrence wouldn’t dissuade him from attending the function.

Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, said there is “zero risk” of the vice president taking out of the debate over the plexiglass spat. He said Pence “will be there” because it’s “too very important to the American people.”

“The hesitancy appears to be on other side,” he added.

Sabrina Singh, a spokesperson for Harris, said the senator "will be at the debate, respecting the protections that the Cleveland Clinic has devote location to promote safety for all concerned.” The Cleveland Clinic serves as a health adviser to the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Regardless of the early sparring, the debate is unlikely to be a repeat of the chaotic debate between Trump and Biden the other day.

Pence is wanting to seize on Harris and Biden's liberal policies, but it may be difficult to shift the conversation from the Republican administration's uneven handling of the pandemic. Pence serves as chair of the president's coronavirus task force, which has failed to implement a thorough national strategy even while Trump himself recovers from the disease and the national death toll surges past 210,000 with no clear result in sight.

The vice president is a 61-year-old former Indiana governor and ex-radio host, an evangelical Christian known for his folksy charm and unwavering loyalty to Trump.

Harris is a 55-year-old California senator, the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother. She actually is also a former prosecutor whose pointed questioning of Trump's Supreme Court nominees and cool charm on the campaign trail made her a Democratic star.

She'll make history as the first Black woman to surface in a vice presidential debate. Democrats hope the historic nature of her candidacy will help energize key sets of likely Democratic voters - African Americans and young people, in particular - who've displayed less excitement for Biden.

It's unclear how aggressive the prospects will be with one another.

Both have adopted a cautious approach on the trail, keeping consistent with past running mates who, most importantly, are tasked with not hurting their party's ticket.

Some Harris allies fear a conservative approach will prevent her from shining.

“Overly scripting Kamala Harris is tantamount to removing five bullets out of her gun before you head into a gun fight,” said Nathan Barankin, who served as Harris' chief of staff in the Senate so when she was California attorney general.

Although some Democrats have set high expectations for the debate, Harris and her allies have been trying to keep them low. Last month, when California’s state Senate president told Harris on a Zoom call that home state fans were excited to view her debate, Harris quickly interjected.

“He’s an excellent debater,” she said, laughing. “I’m just, I’m so concerned, like I can only disappoint.”

Gender will likely are likely involved in the debate, Hillary Clinton, the first woman to lead a presidential ticket, said throughout a recent fundraiser.

She suggested Pence would make an effort to paint Harris as “the inexperienced woman candidate." Harris should be mindful of the double standard for ladies in politics as she responds, Clinton said.

“She’s got to be firm and effective in rebutting any implication that originates from the other side, but to accomplish it in a way that doesn’t, you understand, scare or alienate voters,” Clinton said.

Harris has been finding your way through the debate in Salt Lake City since Saturday. Karen Dunn, a Washington legal professional who helped prepare Clinton on her behalf 2016 debates against Trump, is leading Harris’ debate preparations.

Harris plans to give attention to failures of leadership by the Trump-Pence administration but avoid personal attacks against Trump, as Biden has done because the president was hospitalized for the virus, according to a campaign aide who wasn’t authorized to go over debate planning publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Pence’s team has been reluctant to discuss his strategy in debate preparations except to notice that he's “thorough” in everything he does.

Pence has spent the last four years defending the president on a near-daily basis and mastered the art of turning Trump's chaotic rhetoric into more palatable, middle-of-the-road commentary.

Aides remember that Pence’s criticism has focused almost exclusively on Biden and his record instead of Harris. It's likely to stay that way Wednesday, but he hasn't completely ignored Harris.

Within an interview with a conservative talk show host in Iowa last week, the vice president cast the California senator as a left-wing extremist. Pence also said he was “counting the times to the debate."

“In Kamala Harris, you have a person who actually was the most liberal person in america Senate in 2019,” Pence said.