The Note: Debate over debates shapes campaign messaging

The TAKE with Rick Klein

Both campaigns say they want debates. Both insist that the other candidate is trying to duck them.

As of now, for all the campaign cancellations -- up to and including in-person convention attendance -- the presidential debates appear more likely than not to happen.

But the debate over debates is more intense than it's been in a few cycles. That's partly because it's filling a void that might be occupied by actual campaigning -- and also because both campaigns see the positioning as a chance to smoke out the other side.

President Donald Trump campaign's public plea for an earlier or additional presidential debate -- his second such attempt at getting more on the books -- is extremely unlikely to impact any planning by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

But Rudy Giuliani's letter to the commission did manage to draw a swift rejection from Joe Biden's campaign. That could make for a tidy bit of business as the Trump campaign seeks to portray the former vice president as ducking scrutiny and tough questioning.

For his part, Biden publicly committed to the commission's three presidential and one vice-presidential debate back in June. Trump hasn't explicitly done the same -- though Giuliani's letter implies that the president will show up, which some in Biden's orbit see as a win, particularly since moderators have yet to be announced.

Pre-debate positioning has a tendency to be subsumed by things that actually get said on debate stages.

But the process matters now as well, as Trump and Biden frame messaging while distanced from each other and the campaign trail.

The RUNDOWN with Kendall Karson

The president won in Tennessee by 26 points in 2016 and the top two Republicans duking it out in the Senate primary on Thursday have basically been trying to out-Trump each other.

Bill Hagerty, the Trump-endorsed former ambassador to Japan and former national finance chair for Sen. Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign, is facing off against Dr. Manny Sethi, an orthopedic trauma surgeon who has garnered support from Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., as the candidate who will be a "true conservative" who supports Trump.

In the race to replace Sen. Lamar Alexander, the Republican nominee will likely square off in November against James Mackler, a former Army helicopter pilot and attorney who is currently leading the five-way Democratic primary.

As has been the case this week, voting in Tennessee could provide key insights into possible voting issues this fall.

Voters will have a few options on Thursday. Social distancing protocols and face masks will help keep them safe if they choose to vote in person, according to state officials. More, a lower court expanded absentee voting in the state to allow anyone concerned over COVID-19 to cast an absentee ballot -- using the pandemic as an excuse, as Tennessee does still require one.

But that will no longer be the case in November. The state Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday night that fear of contracting COVID-19 will not be a valid excuse to vote-by-mail in the general election. Absentee ballots cast for Thursday's primary election using the excuse will be counted, according to the ruling.

Due to the large number of absentee ballots, the secretary of state's office warned that election results could possibly be delayed. Scanning and checking just take time. It's the reality of absentee voting in a pandemic.

The TIP with Cheyenne Haslett and Ashley Brown

Ambling toward August as just a shell of what the city once dreamed it would be, the virtual Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee wasn't packing many punches. And now the city won't even host the nominee.

"I would be lying if I didn't tell you that I'm very, very disappointed in this, professionally and personally, because I think we all have had so much pride in having been chosen to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention," Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said Wednesday, noting that it's the first major political party convention to be hosted in the state.

The reality, Barrett acknowledged, is the world has changed since the city was awarded its spotlight in the 2020 race. Even before Democrats decided to bag Biden's visit, the convention planned to have a microscopic footprint, with estimates of 300 attendees. But what about the notable absence of the nominee and his vice presidential pick? Biden is running on the heels of a Democratic nominee who was shamed for never visiting the battleground state of Wisconsin.

"The lesson was learned from 2016, they're not going to make that mistake again," said Milwaukee Alderman Bob Bauman, a Democrat, adding that he's spoken to party officials from the national level to the local level about the issue. "And so, no I don't think there's any danger of that whatsoever. To the extent they can physically campaign in Wisconsin, they're going to be here."

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" podcast. Thursday morning's episode features a conversation with Sheri Johnson, a laid-off restaurant manager who is evaluating her options after her extra $600 unemployment benefit expired. ABC News' Matt McGarry tells us how Beirut moves forward after the deadly explosion earlier this week. And, ABC News Chief Business and Economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis brings us the latest on a potential sale of TikTok. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

ABC News' "Powerhouse Politics" podcast. Recent criticism that Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., is "too ambitious" to become former Vice President Joe Biden's running mate reveals a "double standard for women," Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Hillary Clinton's 2016 running mate, told ABC News Political Director Rick Klein and Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl, as Biden closes in on selecting his VP pick. "The ambition theme that's popped up in recent weeks is just a sad part of what I saw with Hillary running for president in 2016," said Kaine. https://bit.ly/2CGGdCY

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