Why Kamala Harris Wants to Debate Trump Again

Some have wondered why Harris should risk another debate, but despite a great performance there is more work to do

After Kamala Harris walked off the debate stage on Tuesday night, Brian Fallon, the top Harris adviser leading debate negotiations, tweeted the following:

Kamala Harris hammered home her point at the rally in Charlotte on Thursday, saying:

I believe we owe it to the voters to have another debate because this election and what is at stake could not be more important.

The Harris campaign’s desire for a second debate raised some questions. By all accounts, Harris mopped the floor with Trump. After Trump won the debate against Biden in June, he immediately ruled out a second debate. Why give his opponent another opportunity to improve public perception? Trump has used this twisted logic to argue that he won the debate with Harris (He didn’t!). Trump posted on Truth Social:

In the World of Boxing or UFC, when a Fighter gets beaten or knocked out, they get up and scream, ‘I DEMAND A REMATCH, I DEMAND A REMATCH!’ Well, it’s no different with a Debate. She was beaten badly last night. 

Trump has ruled out another debate, but Trump is a liar. He backed out of this past debate with Harris several times. So, I am not prepared to take his word that he won’t debate again.

If Harris won the debate overwhelmingly, why is she so aggressive in seeking a second debate? And is she right to do so?

Absolutely! Here’s why:

1. The Debate is Unlikely to Shift the Polls Dramatically

It takes about a week to get high quality national and battleground state polls out, and to see real changes after a debate. History, however, shows that while debates are crucial, they don’t move the polls much. Even the Biden-Trump debate, where Biden’s performance was so bad that it eventually ended his candidacy, barely moved the polls — the polling average shifted little more than 1 point in the week after the debate. Similarly, the first debates in 2020 and 2016 moved the polls less than 2 points.

In the poll CNN conducted following the debate, 82% of respondents said that the debate did not affect their vote, 14% said it made them reconsider but not change their choice, and 4% said their mind was changed. Remember, this was a poll of people who watched the debate. More than half of the electorate didn’t tune in. Everything we know about media consumption habits suggests that the more persuadable a voter, the less likely they are to watch in real time.

This isn’t just a natural glass-half-empty demeanor. The Harris-Walz campaign came to the same conclusion. According to the New York Times:

The next steps, close advisers say, are ramping up her visibility on the campaign trail, including retail politicking in communities, increased press appearances, and putting herself in front of as many voters as possible in battleground states. Aides believe that at its heart, the race is unchanged.

How could people watch Trump incoherently babbling about mythical pet-nappings and his crowd sizes and be unmoved? Simple. America is incredibly polarized. The overwhelming majority of voters made their decision years ago and nothing will change their minds.

2. More Work to Do

Much of the conversation discusses how bad Trump was in the debate — and for good reason. A focus on Trump losing the debate is good — he looked weak and old. More of a doofus than a dictator. However, voters are desperately seeking more information about Harris, not necessarily more bad information about Trump. Notably, in the CNN poll, Harris’s numbers improved while Trump’s numbers stagnated.

A poll from the Democratic outfit Blueprint found that the best testing messages in the debate were largely positive ones from Harris, which is more evidence that voters are inclined to support her but want to know more.

Usually the debates are the closing argument for a candidate. They arrive on that stage fully formed in voters’ minds. They have been campaigning for more than a year after winning hard-fought, high profile primaries. Harris became the nominee two months ago and started this race as a blank slate for major swaths of the electorate. She needs another opportunity to introduce herself to voters.

3. Seeking Another Economic Opportunity

The economy is the most important issue in this election and it’s the issue where Harris has the most ground to make up. The first couple questions of the debate addressed the economy. Harris answered them well, but Trump took the first economic question and talked about immigration and then the debate moved on. Through no fault of her own, the economy was an afterthought. On post-debate CNN, Trump still had a 10-point advantage on the economy. Harris has natural advantages in an economic debate with Trump — she has her middle-class background, her record of taking on the Big Banks, and a more popular policy agenda. Notably, in the Blueprint poll, Harris’s attack on Trump for supporting a 20% sales tax tested very well.

A second debate would be another high profile opportunity to drive home the economic contrast.

4. Closing the Race on Offense

There is a little consternation in Democratic circles about the various models, like Nate Silver’s Election Model, that show Trump as a favorite to win. Getting worked up about these models is a waste of valuable time and energy. This race is incredibly close — some say it’s the closest in recent history. It could even be closer than the razor thin margins in 2020. In close elections, the race must end on offense. Even the slightest bit of momentum in the final days could be the difference between victory and defeat. What Kamala Harris and her campaign have accomplished in a short period of time is truly astounding. Before she became the nominee, Trump was on a glide path to the White House. She reached this point by running like an underdog and understanding the effort required to best a former President in his third campaign. Pushing for a second debate is what an underdog would do.