The only scheduled debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump will be tracked by The New York Times in terms of speaking time. The breakdown by topic and measurement of time spent attacking each other by the candidates will be analyzed. The debate is set to start at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
Scheduled to last 90 minutes, this debate marks the first direct confrontation between Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump. It is also the first debate since President Biden withdrew from the race following his disappointing performance against Mr. Trump in June.
With only 56 days left until Election Day, the debate stage offers Ms. Harris a crucial opportunity for voters to familiarize themselves with her. According to the latest New York Times/Siena College national poll, 28 percent of likely voters expressed the need to learn more about Ms. Harris, compared to only 9 percent for Mr. Trump.
An analysis will be conducted on how much time the candidates spend discussing 15 key issues and attacking their opponent on those topics. Additionally, the percentage of time Ms. Harris dedicates to these key issues will be compared to Mr. Biden’s performance in the June presidential debate.
Furthermore, a comparison will be made on the percentage of time the candidates spend attacking each other’s policies and characters in tonight’s debate versus previous debates.