Kamala Harris and Donald Trump set out on Wednesday to ride the momentum from their high-stakes debate into the final sprint to November as they seek to persuade undecided voters and shake up a presidential election locked in a dead heat.
The Democratic vice-president and her Republican rival are neck-and-neck in both nationwide and swing state polling, days before first ballots are mailed out and early in-person voting begins in several key states.
Both candidates declared victory in the debate after coming face to face for the first time on the biggest night so far of the campaign – although any boost or dent in support is unlikely to show up in polling for several days.
On Wednesday, Trump came out swinging in an early morning interview with Fox News, claiming, without providing evidence, that the debate was “rigged” against him.
“It was a rigged deal, as I assumed it would be, because when you looked at the fact that they were correcting everything and not correcting with her,” he complained.
Observers said both candidates would have positives to take from the clash.
“She focused on the major thematic contrasts between her and Trump ... Trump didn’t hurt himself with his loyal followers but he likely didn’t make any inroads with undecided voters either,” said Andrew Koneschusky, a former press secretary to Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer.
Trump, 78, finds himself facing questions about his advanced age, with renewed focus on his eccentric and often rambling speeches. But Harris, 59, had seen her polling momentum begin to stall ahead of the debate. The Democrat has been reaching to the centre, showcasing a parade of anti-Trump Republicans.
Trump has been largely appealing to his own base, with apocalyptic warnings about migrant criminals and painting a dark picture of a country in “decline” that only he can save.
Trump and Harris crossed paths again on Wednesday when they attended ceremonies marking the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks by Al-Qaeda.
Harris heads today to North Carolina, while Trump is due onstage in Tucson, Arizona. Harris’s running mate Tim Walz will travel to Michigan and Wisconsin until Saturday, as his Republican opposite number JD Vance deals with the fallout from another round of controversial remarks.
The Mercury