Harris and Trump ride debate buzz into election sprint

In an attempt to stir up the presidential contest, which has come to a standstill, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump set out on Wednesday to ride the momentum from their intense White House debate into the two-month final sprint to November.

Days before the first votes are mailed out and early in-person voting starts in several crucial states, the Democratic vice president and her Republican opponent are still tied in national and swing state polls.

Both candidates declared victory after coming face to face for the first time on the biggest night so far of the campaign — although any boost or dent in support is unlikely to show up in polling for several days.
 
The ABC News-hosted debate in Philadelphia was punctuated by tense exchanges, although Harris focused on policy while Trump’s answers were littered with wild falsehoods and were often about his past grievances.

“She focused on the major thematic contrasts between her and Trump…. For his part, Trump didn’t hurt himself with his loyal followers but he likely didn’t make any inroads with undecided voters either,” said PR expert Andrew Koneschusky, a former press secretary to Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer. 

Republican strategist Liam Donovan said while Harris scored points on Trump, the Republican “largely whiffed” in his efforts to tie his opponent to President Joe Biden’s more unpopular policies, instead accusing her of Marxism “and going on angry tirades about migrants run amok.”

“Don’t expect this debate to have an immediate impact in the polls, but it will surely boost morale at a time when Democrats are getting anxious,” he told AFP.

Following Biden’s withdrawal in July, Harris rode a wave of enthusiasm throughout the Democratic convention, greatly increasing her profile and resulting in record-breaking fundraising figures.

And now that Biden is out of the race, 78-year-old Trump is the one being questioned about his advanced age and mental capacity, and his peculiar and frequently rambling speeches are receiving more attention.

However, prior to the debate, Harris, 59, had noticed a slowdown in her polling momentum.