WASHINGTON – Only six feet will separate Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on the debate stage tonight. But their communication styles and policy preferences will expose a chasm between the two that are miles apart as viewers size up the 2024 candidates for the White House.
Vice President Harris and former President Trump will be meeting each other for the first time when they share the stage at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. It also may very well be their only debate.
WATCH the Debate LIVE Below:
On the eve of the showdown moderated by ABC News, both candidates expressed confidence. Yet the two took strikingly different approaches to preparing. Harris hunkered down for days of intense mock rehearsals, while Trump held informal policy sessions.
Both hope to find ways to define each other as unacceptable to voters and perhaps get under each other's skin.
"This might be the biggest showdown that Philadelphia has had since the 'Rocky' movies," said Josh Boak with the Associated Press.
Tuesday's match-up was originally scheduled to be the second debate between Trump and President Joe Biden. That was before Biden bowed out of the race in July and endorsed Harris as his replacement.
After weeks of haggling, the two campaigns finally settled on the rules for the 90-minute showdown, which include no opening statements and no live audience, two commercial breaks, and two minutes for questions, rebuttals, and closing statements.
Trump won the coin toss and will have the final word, choosing to go last during closing statements. Harris chose the podium that appears on the right side of the screen. As a member of the incumbent party, Harris will be introduced first.
"The stakes are high with both candidates in a tight race," Boak added.
After weeks of Harris rising in the polls, those numbers now reflect a close contest. Trump maintains a slight lead over Harris among likely voters, 48% to 47% respectively. That's within the New York Times/Siena College poll's margin of error, which means the race is essentially tied.
While tens of millions of viewers are expected to tune in, Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of Inside Elections, told CBN News the candidates mainly want to reach independent voters, particularly in swing states.
"I don't expect something to happen that will sway Democrats to come away from Harris or Republicans to come away from Trump," Gonzales said on CBN's Faith Nation. "I think we're locked in on a core group of people in the middle in seven key states."
Although Harris has enjoyed enthusiasm and momentum since taking the top of the ticket seven weeks ago, Trump could have an edge in the Electoral College.
Nate Silver, editor-in-chief of FiveThirtyEight, gives the former president a 63.8% chance of winning the majority of votes in the Electoral College, where the race for the White House will ultimately be decided.
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