On 'This Week': Beau Biden and Sen. Rob Portman; Miller Center Panel

NEW YORK, Oct. 12, 2012— -- Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden discuss the presidential and vice presidential debates and the latest in the 2012 campaign, Sunday on "This Week."

Following a combative debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan, President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Gov. Mitt Romney prepare to return to center stage, as they face off in their second presidential debate next Tuesday.

How did the vice presidential debate set the stage for next week's town hall presidential contest? Will Governor Romney build on his momentum from his strong first debate performance, or will President Obama improve his showing and re-build his lead with less than a month to Election Day?

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, the man playing President Obama in Governor Romney's debate preparation, and the vice president's son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, speak with ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper on the 2012 election, only on "This Week" Sunday.

Plus, our special "This Week" panel, in partnership with the University of Virginia's Miller Center, gives further insights into presidential debates, tackling the question "Do Presidential Debates Change Elections?"

Over 67 million Americans tuned in for the first presidential debate this month, the most viewers since 1980. But do presidential debates ever truly change the outcome on Election Day? Can debates change voters' opinions of the candidates and swing the momentum of a race, or do they merely solidify the choices voters already planned to make? What impact, if any, do stumbles on the debate stage have on the dynamics of presidential contests? And could this year's debates between President Obama and Governor Romney change the outcome of November's election?

Jake Tapper moderates this special discussion, held before a live studio audience at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., with former House Speaker and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich; former Senator and 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd; Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz, moderator of this week's vice presidential debate; presidential historian Richard Norton Smith; ABC News' George Will; and Democratic strategist and ABC News Contributor Donna Brazile.

For more information on the topic and panelists, visit the Miller Center website.