Watch: A conversation following the vice presidential debate

On Friday, October 9 Axios' Mike Allen and Niala Boodhoo hosted a conversation unpacking the news of the day and reactions to the debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris, featuring Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Josh Hawley and Rep. Katie Porter.

Sen. Tim Kaine discussed Democrats' priorities going into November, his experience on the campaign trail in 2016, and what's at stake in this election.

• On the two things driving a significant uptick in early voter turnout: "One, people understand the stakes are so high this election...[Two], people are worried about the pandemic and coronavirus. They like having more options about how to vote."
• On the experience of running for Vice President: "Everything I learned about the job (of running mate), I learned from Joe Biden...[He] never let there be public disagreement between he and Barack Obama, even though there was private disagreement."

Focusing on his role on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Josh Hawley unpacked his views on the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett and the upcoming election.

• On the Senate Judiciary Committee's questions about Amy Coney Barrett's religious background: "[Senator Harris] needs to lead the charge...She needs to say she was wrong to impose a religious test and she and her colleagues need to pledge that they will not do it."
• His view of Joe Biden's record: "He's a liberal globalist, and that's exactly what he'll do as president of the United States. That really should be the central issue of this campaign."

Rep. Katie Porter discussed her reaction to the vice presidential debate and the state of American politics.

• On the current political climate motivating people to run for office: "We're seeing a lot of people step up and run. I think people are feeling like it's time to try to fix some of this...We're seeing it in local candidates, more women than ever before running or diverse candidates running."
• On the response to the pandemic: "[The Trump administration] has really demonstrated why having leaders who believe in science matters. At every turn, we've had problems with honoring science, with putting data and research first."

Thank you Bank of America for sponsoring this event.