MINNEAPOLIS — The eyes of the nation will be on a stage in Philadelphia Tuesday night as Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump debate for the first, and possibly last, time.
The ABC News debate presents challenges for both candidates, according to University of Minnesota political science professor Kathryn Pearson. But she asserts Harris has more to lose because she's the lesser known of the pair.
"There’s definitely more at stake for Harris because she’s been in this race for such a short period of time. Eight weeks out until the election, she’s only been the candidate officially since early August," Pearson explained. "Running as the candidate of change when a Democrat currently occupies the White House and you’re the sitting vice president is a challenge. I understand why she’s trying to do that."
Pearson said that Trump's challenge will be to stay on point and talk about issues rather than personalities.
"Former President Trump really needs to essentially give a similar performance to his debate performance the end of June," Pearson remarked.
"Strikingly, they’ve actually never met in person, which is a little bit hard to believe. He also has a history of having a hard time debating women. The fact the mics are off when the candidates aren’t talking is really helpful, because it sort of prevents some of things he’s said that have gotten him in trouble in the past."
The candidates are also facing the task of trying to appeal to a new wave of younger voters who the candidates' messages to more compact and compelling, according to messaging expert Kristi Piehl of the Media Minefield consulting agency.
"Their audience is completely different than any other audience that a presidential candidate has ever had to deal with because we have Gen Z voters in a TikTok era who want to feel something," Piehl told KARE. "They want to be moved to action. And they want that done in about 15 seconds!"
Piehl said viewers will also be watching closely for the nonverbal messages from the candidate, something that loomed large in the Trump-Biden debate.
"What will their faces be doing when the other person is speaking? There are all of these other messages that will be communicated, will be pulled apart, will be slowed down and analyzed after the debate," Piehl said.
Presidential historian Talmage Boston said he'll be watching closely to see how disciplined the candidates are when it comes to keeping the focus on the future.
"Are they really responding, are they really advancing the argument. If there’s a chance for rebuttal, is the person making the rebuttal advancing?" Boston told KARE. "Any effort to get sidetracked with personal attacks or filibuster, whatever it may be, is not helpful to advancing the discussion of the issues. Can Harris maintain the composure and confidence she had in the Dana Bash interview? Can Trump focus on the issues and not his standard schtick?"
Boston, a veteran attorney based in Dallas, recently penned a book "How the Best Did It: Leadership Lessons from Our Top Presidents" highlighting the US presidents who were the most effective communicators.
"You cannot change someone's mind unless you change their heart, and the great communicators understand that and speak in words that touch the heart first. That's the top priority, and everything else follows from that," Boston said.