Pence, Harris face off in VP debate with diverging views of America

ABC News Chief Political Analyst Matthew Dowd told "ABC News Live Prime" that the pressure is on Pence Wednesday night as it’s uncertain whether the public will see more presidential debates in light of the president’s positive diagnosis. 

“That's the concern for Trump-Pence is that this may be the last opportunity they have in this kind of setting to present their argument to the American public,” he said. "But Kamala just has to keep things going."

Dowd, who prepped former Vice President Dick Cheney for his debate in 2004, said it's Pence’s job tonight to ensure the Trump-Pence campaign doesn’t lose any more ground.

“This is a debate that, in order for Donald Trump and Mike Pence to get back in this race where they're significantly behind, Mike Pence at least has to stop the bleeding in the polls that are going on right now,” said Dowd.

“November 3 is the end of the election, so he has to begin to start chipping away at that lead and present the Donald Trump case in a much more forceful way of why they should get another four years,” he added, noting early voting is underway in several states.

For Harris, Dowd said, it’s her first big introduction to the American people, and her goal should be to keep the momentum going.

"They don't have to build on a lead. They already have a lead it's just to keep the momentum going because we have no idea whether we're gonna have another presidential debate next week or at all,” he said.

ABC News' Chief Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce told ABC News Prime Anchor Linsey Davis about what precautions will be in place at Wednesday night's event amid the coronavirus pandemic and what to expect from both candidates on the debate stage.

"The candidates will both be seated behind Plexiglass more than 12 feet apart," Bruce said.

Both Pence and Harris have tested negative for the coronavirus, and even as the outbreak at the White House grows, Pence's team says he is safe to debate. Bruce also explained how Pence and Harris have been preparing for tonight's debate. Harris will rely on her background as a former prosecutor.

"Despite the fact that she is known for those pointed questions her team says don't expect her to eviscerate Mike Pence," Bruce said. "She is going to try though, to speak directly to the American people that's a strategy that we saw Joe Biden use last week."

Pence will rely on his background and experience on the debate stage. Mary Bruce warns that Pence will go after Harris, and expects Pence to paint Harris as a far left candidate, a common line of attack from the Trump campaign.

"He does have a lot of experience on a debate stage," Bruce said. "He is a skillful communicator actually former television hosts, so he has much more experience in this arena."

Ahead of Wednesday's vice presidential debate, FiveThirtyEight's presidential election forecast has Biden favored to win the election. The model gives the former vice president an 84 in 100 chance of wining in November and Trump a 16 in 100 chance of being re-elected.

FiveThirtyEight Politics Editor Sarah Frostenson told ABC News Live's "Your Voice, Your Vote: The Breakdown" it's hard to pinpoint one event that changed the polls due to the speed of the news cycle, but the economy and the last debate were two key factors.

"It was really the economy that was helping Trump the most," Frostenson said. "And so one reason why Biden is ahead out and doing so much better is Trump hasn't been able to deliver on economic promises here leading up to the election." 

However, she said, voters still trust the president more than Biden on handling the economy.

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FiveThirtyEight offers forecast before 1st vice presidential debate

FiveThirtyEight's forecast has former Vice President Joe Biden favored to win the election.

ABCNews.com

As for last week's debate, Frostenson said that Biden got a "modest uptick" in the polls, but it caused a shift due to Biden's already sizable national lead. 

"Going into this debate, you know, Pence and Harris aren't as well known as Biden and Trump, so there is a possibility that in seeing the number two candidates tonight, voters at home will be able -- who are still maybe on the fence -- to hear their messages and decide whether or not they're in Trump or Biden's camp," she said. "So it's not over for Trump yet by any means."

The vice president has been a steadfast gun-rights advocate and a supporter of the National Rifle Association (NRA), with a record that shows him opposing restrictions on the Second Amendment.

In 2010, Pence said "Congress should rebuff attempts to restrict the Second Amendment and recognize that programs such as national firearms registration and the assault weapons ban are antithetical to the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans." Most recently, when Pence spoke at the National Rifle Association Leadership Forum in 2019, he told them "under this president and this administration, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

During her presidential campaign, Harris has proposed executive actions to counter gun violence including banning assault weapons and near-universal background checks administered by people who sell over five guns a year. Gun manufacturers and dealers who fail to comply would have their licenses revoked. As the vice presidential nominee, she has called for the renewal of the assault weapons ban also called for the elimination of the "boyfriend loophole" in addition to her avid support of universal background checks.

"Before somebody can buy a lethal weapon, you might want to know if they've been found by a court to be a danger to themselves or others. You just might want to know," Harris told a crowd in Philadelphia in September. "These are the things about background checks, you just might want to know certain things before you give somebody something that can kill other human beings."

Harris told reporters in April 2019 that she owned a gun for "personal safety," but says it's a "false choice... to suggest you're either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone's guns away."

-ABC News' Justin Gomez and Averi Harper