A fly lands on Mike Pence’s head as he takes notes during the vice presidential debate.
The debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic Senator Kamala Harris unfolded largely free of the chaos that clouded last week’s debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.
Here are some highlights from the debate:
FILLING THE COURT?
Frustrated that Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate may soon consolidate a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, some on the left have asked Biden to expand the court from nine members to 11 or 13 seats. Harris declined to say whether he supported that idea.
His silence was telling, Pence said. “The direct answer is that they are going to fill the Supreme Court if they somehow win these elections,” he said.
FOREIGN POLICY
The relatively calm atmosphere allowed large political differences to come to light.
On global warming, for example, Pence declined to say that it is caused by human activity, the overwhelming scientific consensus, and said that the solutions proposed by Biden would be too expensive.
It also incorrectly said that Biden would ban hydraulic fracturing. Biden, in fact, has repeatedly said that he would not seek a fracking ban, although he would oppose new permits to drill on federal land. It is a key issue in electoral contexts such as western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, where the technique has led to a boom in energy production over the past decade.
A FLY IN THE OINTMENT
A stray housefly sat for several minutes on Pence’s white hair, dangling as he shook his head and dodged Harris for race and criminal justice, providing humorous content for both late-night hosts and users of the Twitter The Biden campaign sold fly swatters to capitalize on the rumor.
COLORING WITHIN THE LINES
Following last week’s insulting debate between Biden and Trump, both candidates took a relatively low-key approach, greeting each other respectfully and rarely raising their voices.
Things eventually got heated, but only on a low heat, not a boil. When Pence interrupted, Harris was able to silence him with a simple phrase: “Mr. Vice President, I’m talking.”
Pence closed with a hymn to the civil discourse.
“In America we can disagree. We can debate vigorously like Senator Harris and I have on this stage tonight. But when the debate is over, we come together as Americans,” he said.
Don’t talk about the elderly
Biden, 77, would be the oldest president in US history if he won the election. Trump, 74, spent the weekend in a military hospital outside Washington after contracting COVID-19.
Both candidates dodged questions about the health of their older running partners.
When asked if there was a firm succession plan, Pence, 61, used her time to talk about vaccines, while Harris, 55, spoke about her biography as the daughter of immigrants who later served as attorney general of California.
Similarly, none responded directly when asked why their older running partners had not posted detailed health information. Pence thanked those who wanted Trump’s recovery, while Harris criticized Trump for not publishing his tax returns.
A DISPUTE ELECTION?
Both candidates also spoke about what would happen in the event of a contested election, a scenario sparked by repeated statements by Trump that he might not accept the outcome if he does not win.
Harris urged supporters to vote, rather than toying with the possibility of legal disputes or violence at the polls. “If we use our voice and we use our vote, we will win,” he said.
Pence did not promise that Trump would leave office if he lost. Instead, he accused Democrats of denying the legitimacy of Trump’s 2016 victory through investigations and impeachment.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated channel.)
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