Five questions as Pence and Harris prepare for vice presidential debate

Members of the production crew stand in on the stage near plexiglass barriers which will serve as a way to protect the spread of COVID-19 as preparations take place for the vice presidential debate at the University of Utah, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, in Salt Lake City. The vice presidential debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., is scheduled for Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Members of the production crew stand in on the stage near plexiglass barriers which will serve as a way to protect the spread of COVID-19 as preparations take place for the vice presidential debate at the University of Utah, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, in Salt Lake City. The vice presidential debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., is scheduled for Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

By STEVE PEOPLES / AP National Political Writer October 6, 2020 4 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence and Democrat Kamala Harris meet on the debate stage for the first and only time Wednesday night in Utah.

Here are some key questions heading into the debate:

HOW MUCH DOES THIS DEBATE MATTER?

Vice presidential debates rarely move the needle in significant ways during a presidential election. But with President Donald Trump recovering from the coronavirus and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, trying to become the oldest president in U.S. history, the stakes are higher this time.

While it’s uncomfortable to say out loud, there is a possibility that Pence or Harris might be required to step into the presidency before the end of the next term. That injects greater scrutiny into the prime-time affair for both candidates.