Mike Pence, Kamala Harris to clash at US vice-presidential debate on Oct 7

Vice President Mike Pence will face his Democratic challenger Senator Kamala Harris in the vice-presidential debate on Wednesday. The debate will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah and will be moderated by journalist Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief of USA Today.

“The debates are a crucial part of making our democracy work and I am honored to participate,” Page said in a statement, PTI reported.

“We’re looking very much forward to the vice-presidential debate,” Pence told reporters on Monday before boarding the Air Force Two.

“The stakes in this election have never been higher, the choice has never been clearer, and I look forward to the opportunity to take our case to the American people for four more years for President Donald Trump in the White House,” he said.

The vice-presidential debates are often the afterthoughts in a presidential race. But with President Donald Trump testing positive for COVID-19, “Mike Pence and Kamala Harris will now face an unusual amount of scrutiny and a tricky balancing act,” the New York Times wrote.

Also read: Trump campaign launches ‘Operation MAGA’ after president’s COVID-19 diagnosis

The 90-minute debate will be divided into nine segments of approximately 10 minutes each, said the Commission on Presidential Debate. The moderator will ask an opening question after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond.

The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a deeper discussion of the topic, it said.

As a measure against the novel coronavirus, plexiglass will be installed between Pence and Harris on the debate stage. Also they will have a distance of 12 feet between them and will be seated during the debate.