Political Scientists Share What Voters Should Watch for in Harris-Trump Debate

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Tuesday night former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will duel it out in a debate. It’s the first debate for the pair ever since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Political scientists share what they’re looking for in the debate. 

Political scientists said the main takeaway voters should listen for is what kind of policy each candidate envisions under their administration. They said both candidates have done a poor job in terms of telling people how their administration will make people's lives better. The economy is always a top issue for voters. While political scientists said Trump has talked about tariffs and Harris has talked about an opportunity economy, details have been light on both sides.  

Dr. Todd Belt, professor and director of political management at George Washington University said the undecided voters interestingly are the ones that don’t tune in for the debate.  

“It’s usually the people who are already decided and want to see how their candidate does,” said Dr. Belt. “The people who are undecided generally get all of their information in the days and weeks subsequent to the debate and so that’s why those candidates are looking for those zingers that one line or two that can get repeated on the news that can have the impact.” 

There are a couple of rules in the debate: the mics will be live only for the candidate whose turn it is to speak and muted when the time belongs to the other candidate; Only moderators will be allowed to ask questions; There is no opening statements, but candidates will be allowed closing statements; Each candidate will be allowed two minutes to answer each question, just to name a few.