Kamala Harris' joyous campaign will be hit with a blunt force of reality on Tuesday — a debate with Donald Trump — the modern era's most formidable political foe.
The vice president flipped the 2024 election after President Joe Biden's woeful debate against Trump on CNN in June led him to end his re-election bid. It restored several swing states to the electoral battleground and left Democrats dreaming of a stunning turnaround in a race most thought they were on course to lose.
Still, her success in unifying her party, casting herself as the new voice of generational change and locking horns with Trump in the polls has yet to solidify a reliable path to the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. Indeed, if the election were held on Tuesday, the ex-president, who has already pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and numerous criminal charges, could still win.
Presidential debates don't usually decide elections — despite the cataclysmic impact of a Biden wipeout. But Tuesday night represents Harris' best remaining chance to drive home the decisive argument that could derail Trump's historic comeback.
Her task in Philadelphia will require the use of rhetorical skills that have often been called into question in the uneven vice presidency. While she had her moments in Senate debates and hearings, Harris sometimes struggled to articulate clear principles and respond under pressure in spontaneous situations. Her willingness to submit to just one major media interview since becoming the Democratic nominee, on CNN last month, only raised the bar for her performance in the only scheduled debate with Trump so far. And while the former president has now participated in presidential debates in three separate elections, this will be Harris' first venture onto the debate stage since her meeting with former Vice President Mike Pence in 2020.