Why Democrats are excited about the prospect of Kamala Harris vs Mike Pence

The news that Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Biden had picked Kamala Harris to be his running mate generated serious excitement on Twitter.

Naturally, there was discussion over the history-making nature of the selection: Harris is the first black woman and south Asian American in the role. But given the way Harris stopped Biden in his tracks during an early Democrat candidate debate (before her own campaign faltered), more than a few analysts were eyeing up what she might do to Mike Pence, Donald Trump’s vice president.

For after the pageantry (although much-reduced in these coronavirus times) of the party conventions, where the two pairs will be lauded by the faithful (from afar), the next big mark on the horizon is the presidential and vice-presidential debates.

The first presidential debate, scheduled for the end of September, may end up looking more like the final Democrat primary debate between Biden and Bernie Sanders, ie with no audience, podiums six-feet apart and an elbow touch instead of a handshake.

The following two presidential debates are due to take place in the second half of October, with a vice presidential debate on the 7 October, at the University of Utah. That may all change depending on how the US continues to deal with Covid-19, but Biden appears to recognise the importance of these debates.

The former vice president, who is prone to the odd gaffe himself, will have his hands full debating Trump. The president can be cruel and doesn’t usually miss the chance to pounce on mistakes, despite his own weaknesses. But Biden won the two vice-presidential debates against Sarah Palin in 2008 and Paul Ryan in 2012 – and he knows that such victories are important.

Even after her own campaign started to fall away, Harris put in a number of good performances in the Democratic Party presidential primary debates. She delivered a number of pithy one-liners and was good at eliciting a reaction from the watching crowds.

Biden’s campaign will be very happy to see her face off against Pence later in the year.