Harris vs Trump debate could tip scales in tight election race

The first scheduled televised debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will take place on Tuesday evening in Philadelphia. This could be a decisive moment in the election campaign.

This will be both candidates' first physical meeting. Harris and Trump will appear at the National Constitution Center at 9 PM Eastern Time (3 AM on Wednesday in Poland), and their showdown will follow the same unusual rules as the Biden-Trump debate in Atlanta: a 90-minute clash without an audience. The candidates will have their microphones on only when the moderators grant permission to speak, and they will have only a pen, blank sheets of paper, and a bottle of water with them.

ABC television organizes the debate, with evening news anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis acting as moderators. According to established rules, the questions and discussion topics will remain secret until the end, but issues such as the economy, taxes and inflation, immigration, abortion, the war in Ukraine and Gaza, and the future of democracy are expected to be addressed.

All these topics were covered during the Biden-Trump showdown organized by CNN.

For each question, politicians will have two minutes to respond, two minutes to rebut, and another minute to explain or answer follow-up questions. According to the rules, candidates cannot ask each other questions.

The debate comes at a key moment in the campaign, just five days before voting begins in Pennsylvania, the first state where the showdown will take place. Pennsylvania is the most important state in this year's election, and it could decide which of the candidates wins more electoral votes and, ultimately, the election.

The stakes of Tuesday's clash are particularly high because it will likely be the only debate before the election, and polls present an extremely close race. According to an average of polls calculated by "The New York Times," Harris and Trump each have 47% support in Pennsylvania. There is also a tie between three states, where the outcome is almost unpredictable (Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona). In comparison, in two states, Harris has a slight lead (Wisconsin by 3 percentage points, Michigan by 2 percentage points).