So, we voters, 240 million of us, are about to get a chance to see the first presidential debate between Republican candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris.
It’s a rare moment when the former president and the current vice president are in the same room and get a chance to explain their policies before we go to the polls on Nov. 5.
READ: News4JAX Voter’s Guide 2024
We know that Harris surged in the polls and enters the debate with momentum. And the reality is national polls show the race is very tight in the battleground states.
What do we expect from Harris? Well, talk to voters and they will tell you they want to hear more about her policy plans. By all counts, political strategists expect her to attack Trump on his Supreme Court appointments and the justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade.
She’ll also likely talk about her record as a prosecutor and draw a contrast with Trump’s record as a convicted felon, as well as mention Project 2025 being written by some of Trump’s closest advisers, and detail her personal story and middle-class upbringing.
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What do we expect from the former president?
Well, that’s a bit more difficult to define. Trump has struggled a bit finding a definitive line of attack against Harris. He has, in the past, questioned her intelligence and biracial identity. He has, in the past, accused her of being a radical leftist.
Political analysts expect Trump to likely try and pin issues on Harris that helped sink President Joe Biden’s popularity with voters, including inflation and border security. He’ll probably also suggest Harris is not ready nor equipped to be the nation’s Commander-in-Chief.
Analysts also expect Trump to reassure voters he’s ready to regain the job he lost four years ago and has the temperament to do so.
During the debate, expect the economy to be front and center. Consumer prices might be a hot-button issue. He might also attack Harris on the current administration’s policy and record on Gaza and Ukraine.
News4JAX political analyst and head of the Jacksonville University Public Policy Institute Rick Mullaney will join me to break down what to expect in the debate on this week’s Path to the Polls.
Watch live at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday on News4JAX+, News4JAX.com or our YouTube channel. You can also catch our encore presentation at 7 p.m. Tuesday on News4JAX+ or watch any time on demand on all of our platforms.