Most commentators have declared Kamala Harris the winner after last night’s presidential debate against Donald Trump. Even conservative and pro-Trump Fox News has named Harris the winner of the debate. There are now just under two months left until election day on 5 November. Polls show that it is an even race between Harris and Trump. To win, they must be able to convince voters in swing states, states where there is not a clear majority for one of the candidates. Who is leading in the opinion polls? Harris Democrat Trump Republican Average of national polls. They show how support for the candidates develops over time, but it is the results in each state that decide the election. Last updated Source: FiveThirtyEight – This was a very good night for Kamala Harris. She used the opportunity to reach a large audience, look into the camera and present herself and her values, says Eirik Løkke, USA expert and adviser at the think tank Civita. Kamala Harris succeeds in tipping Trump off the stick during the debate. Photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP/NTB The question is whether Harris’s debate performance gives her the voters she needs. – It can be a contribution, but there are many things that can be a careful contribution, he says. Hilmar Mjelde is professor of political science. – I think Harris may have had a real breakthrough here. There were many doubts about her leadership potential and what she stands for. I think Harris has shown emphatically that she is ready to be president, he says. Donald Trump after the debate against Harris. Photo: Matt Slocum / AP/NTB Mjelde believes that we will see some clear reactions from Trump after the debate. – Trump does not handle adversity well. He will lash out at her and the media and like to fire his campaign managers. Trump often makes changes in his political team when things go wrong, he says. Could have been disastrous USA expert Sofie Høgestøl believes it was important for Harris to come out of the debate well. – If she had had a bad evening, it could have been disastrous for her, says Høgestøl. She is still unsure whether the debate was enough to mobilize voters on the fence. – But I think that it may have mobilized more of Harris’ voters. Her most important job has been to gather the voters who voted for Biden last time, says Høgestøl. A man holds a Harris flag as he watches the debate between Trump and Harris. Photo: SETH HERALD / AFP/NTB Mjelde does not believe that the debate alone will move enough voters. – Harris’ biggest problem is that she is sitting vice-president at a time when there is great dissatisfaction with governments worldwide. We saw it in the elections in India, France and the UK this year. It doesn’t really bode well for Harris, he says. Høgestøl is excited about whether the debate will have an impact on the opinion polls. – Trump floats a little on the fact that when he has bad days, he is not punished for it, as many other politicians are. So it will be exciting to see if this changes now, she says. Must convince swing state voters It’s been less than two months since Kamala Harris took over Joe Biden’s place as the Democrats’ presidential candidate. For many voters, Harris is relatively unknown, despite the fact that she has been Biden’s vice president. – The question was whether Harris managed to approach and give a good impression to those who are still a bit in doubt, who feel that they do not know her well enough. I think she succeeded, says Eirik Løkke. Many of Trump’s supporters have nevertheless proven to be very loyal. Løkke does not think the debate is enough to make them change sides. Republican voters watch the debate in a bar in San Francisco. Photo: Juliana Yamada / AP/NTB Now the candidates face a hectic few weeks before the election. Løkke points out that the election campaign has so far been characterized by major events. Joe Biden resigned after the debate against Trump in June. A few weeks later, Trump survived a dramatic assassination attempt. – Now there will be an attempt to mobilize their own voters as much as possible. Especially in the swing states, which will decide this election, says Løkke. Mjelde believes it will be important that Harris appears more on screen now. – In my view, Harris can and should do a lot more TV interviews now. From what I have seen from her at the national meeting and in tonight’s debate, I don’t understand why she apparently has so little faith in her own TV skills, he says. New debate offer So far, the debate on the night of Wednesday was the only one that had been agreed between Harris and Trump. The TV channel Fox News has now suggested that they can arrange another debate between the candidates. Voters supporting Harris watch the debate in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo: SETH HERALD / AFP/NTB At the beginning of October, the stage is also set for a debate between the vice-presidential candidates: Harris’ Tim Walz and Trump’s JD Vance. – From now on, it is a question of whether there will be a new debate or not. But beyond that, there are no large, unifying events, beyond interviews and press conferences, for the two candidates, says Løkke. – Then we will see what types of interviews and non-staged situations Harris eventually has. But also how Trump reacts further. Published 11.09.2024, at 08.53 Updated 11.09.2024, at 09.13
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