In this composite photograph, Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, and Vice President Mike Pence arrives to speak during the first day of the Republican National Convention Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C. Carolyn Kaster and Chris Carlson, Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY— With the first presidential debate in the books, their “number twos” are up next. Current Vice President Mike Pence and VP hopeful Kamala Harris will lock horns for the vice presidential debate in Utah. And a political expert from the site of the battle says there may be more interest in this one than the presidential debates.
Jason Perry, Director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, says that’s because of Kamala Harris. “I think she’s come off as someone who greater enhances the (Democratic ticket.) People (want to get to) know her as a person and a candidate.” Perry says for Harris, that is both an opportunity and a position fraught with pressure. “That opportunity is to show what kind of direction she might give to (Biden’s administration.)”
Perry says the curiosity surrounding Harris is nationwide. In Utah specifically, he thinks the now-Veep is a big draw, too. “Particularly in a place like Utah, sometimes Mike Pence’s popularity is higher than the guy at the top of the ticket,” says Perry.
Perry envisions a well-matched affair. “In 2016, Pence showed he can debate. So I think he’ll come off well,” he says. As for Harris, a lawyer by trade, Perry imagines we’ll “see that ‘courtroom prosecutor.’ Someone who knows how to deliver a line and paint a picture. People are looking at her as someone who is highly competent because of her time in the courtroom.” He says the matchup is more hype: “A seasoned debater (in Pence) and this seasoned prosecutor. It’s going to be something to watch.”
The Vice Presidential Debate will be held at Kingsbury Hall on the University of Utah campus. It’s scheduled for Wednesday, October 7th at 7pm.
It will air live on KSL Newsradio and KSLNewsradio.com.