Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris are expected to take the debate stage Wednesday night against an extraordinary backdrop that has raised the stakes of an event that for decades has been a routine, inconsequential fixture of presidential elections.
No vice president has debated while the president is known to be sick and possibly still in the hospital. And never have two vice presidential nominees debated at a time when Americans are giving far more than cursory thought to how each might lead in the top job.
“He needs to deliver a very solid performance, and he needs to find a way to win,” an ally said.
A national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday showed that Biden’s lead over the president jumped to 14 points after the debate and that voters said by 2-to-1 that Biden performed better than Trump.
Photo of Sen. Kamala Harris at the ILWU headquarters by Roy San Filippo