Pence, Harris face off in VP debate with diverging views of America
Highlights from the first and only matchup between Biden, Trump's running mates
With plexiglass and more than 12 feet of distance separating them, Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic nominee Sen. Kamala Harris of California debated in Salt Lake City in the first and only one-on-one matchup between the vice presidential candidates.
The showdown came as President Donald Trump and several in his orbit have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, raising questions on a transfer of power to the vice president were Trump at 74 -- or Democratic nominee Joe Biden at 77 -- to become too ill to serve.
The debate's format was divided into nine 10-minute sections with each candidate having two minutes to respond to the opening question in each segment and the remaining time allowed for follow ups. Moderator Susan Page, Washington Bureau chief of USA Today, did not release the topics in advance.
The sole vice presidential debate follows Trump and Biden's chaotic debate last week in Cleveland.
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Pence vs. Harris on the issues: Abortion
He speaks at March for Life, the nation's largest annual rally against abortion. She presented a landmark plan to protect abortion rights.
Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris are set to face off on Wednesday in a debate bound to display their drastically opposing views on the issue, which takes on renewed urgency as the Senate considers the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court. Harris is in the unique position of being a sitting Senator who will decide Barrett's fate ahead of the election.
The two vice presidential candidates represent opposite sides of the spectrum on reproductive rights, as nationwide support for abortion rights remains high. A July 2019 ABC News/Washington Post poll found 60% of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, with only 24% saying abortion access should be harder.
A May 2020 poll by Gallup found similar results, with only 20% of respondents saying abortion should be illegal in all circumstances.
Read more on the candidates' positions on abortion here.
-ABC News' Alexandra Svokos
Pence charged with sorting out Trump-centered chaos at VP debate
If Wednesday night showcases Sen. Kamala Harris the prosecutor, consider the new evidence added to her case.
And if Vice President Mike Pence is cast as the best explainer and defender of Trumpism, consider how much harder his job has become.
It's been eight short but incredibly long days since the first presidential debate. Since then, President Donald Trump has struggled to denounce white supremacism; refused to commit to accepting the results of the election; spread falsehoods about the voting process; been diagnosed with COVID-19, amid a full-fledged Washington outbreak; choreographed a triumphant return to the White House to urge the nation not to let the pandemic "dominate"; pulled the plug on further coronavirus relief talks until after the election and then reconsidered the move in some late-night tweets.
Enter the number twos -- in a campaign where there's seldom been more attention on the potential need for their services.
Pre-debate squabbles in Salt Lake City include fighting over plexiglass partitions and more space between the candidates to accommodate social distancing. What's really separating the vice-presidential candidates, though, are campaigns of the men at the top of the ticket -- who have distinct styles that are nothing like those of their running mates or each other.
Four years ago, it was Pence holding steady and calm in a debate with a feisty Sen. Tim Kaine, who faced blowback for his interruptions in a mild-mannered affair. Just last year, Harris' main debate opponent was the man she now shares a ticket with -- bringing set-piece attacks that appeared to nick former Vice President Joe Biden.
Now, amid the chaos of the moment and the relative stability of the campaign, Harris will bring a case that Pence might be uniquely equipped to defend.
-ABC News' Political Director Rick Klein
Harris tests negative for coronavirus
Sen. Harris underwent PCR testing for COVID-19 yesterday and COVID-19 was not detected, per a Harris aide.
-ABC News' Averi Harper
Kamala Harris: Everything you need to know
California Sen. Kamala Harris was selected as former Vice President Joe Biden's running mate on Aug. 11. She is the first woman of color on a major party's ticket, and if elected, she'd be the first woman and first woman of color to serve as vice president.
Her nomination came after serving as senator for California and as the state's attorney general -- and after her own, unsuccessful presidential nomination run. She suspended her presidential bid on Dec. 3, 2019 because, she wrote in an email to supporters, she didn't have the financial resources to continue.
Read more on Harris' background here.
-ABC News' Tessa Weinberg and Sruthi Palaniappan
Pence tests negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday
Vice President Mike Pence tested negative for the coronavirus on Wednesday, according to his office.
Pence’s office said on Tuesday that the vice president had gotten a negative PCR test Tuesday afternoon and negative rapid test Tuesday morning -- Pence had also gotten a negative PCR test Monday. Pence's most recent negative result was from an antigen test.
Pence’s office has not responded to questions about what type of test members of the vice president's group attending the debate were using.
Sen. Harris also tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
-ABC News' Ben Gittleson and Averi Harper