The US Vice Presidential debate involving Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic Senator Kamala Harris held in Salt Lake City, Utah, with sharp exchanges over the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, the Supreme Court and more.
Both candidates also repeatedly avoided answering questions posed to them, instead choosing to pivot to topics they preferred.
But the exchanges were largely collegial, especially compared to the chaotic nature of the first presidential debate, just eight days ago.
Most notably, Harris and Pence traded accusations over the federal response to the pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 210,000 Americans, with Harris harshly criticizing the administration’s record.
“The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country,” Harris said.
Pence, who again tested negative for the coronavirus earlier in the day, defended the administration’s response and said the president’s moves in the early days of the pandemic saved lives.
“When you say what the American people have done over these last eight months hasn’t worked, that’s a great disservice to the sacrifices the American people have made,” the vice president said. “The reality is, Dr. Fauci said everything that he told the president in the Oval Office the president told the American people.”
The sharpest exchanges of the entire debate came late in the evening, on the topic of race and law enforcement.
As Trump did a week earlier, Pence tried to quickly pivot from a discussion of discrimination and excessive force by law enforcement into a condemnation of the sometimes violent protests that have occurred in US cities. He said he trusted the justice system and that suggesting the nation is systemically racist is an insult to the men and women in law enforcement.
Pence, throughout the debate, defended Trump, but also tried to carve out his own identity, particularly when discussing issues – like the Supreme Court – near and dear to the hearts of evangelical voters.
According to performance poll gathered by Action News on 6abc, Vice president Mike Pence had 51% while Kamala Harris has 49% rating.
