Trump leads Harris in Ohio ahead of Tuesday night's debate
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Photo Illustration: Tiffany Herring/Axios. Photos: Brandon Bell, Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Tonight's first showdown between Vice President Harris and former President Trump showcases a far different race than seen earlier in the summer, though Ohio is still leaning red.
Why it matters: Trump holds a solid lead in the Buckeye State, even as Harris gains momentum in polls elsewhere.
State of play: The face-off Tuesday night in Philadelphia's National Constitution Center won't have a live audience and microphones will be muted when the other candidate is speaking.
- Harris' campaign had pushed to keep microphones unmuted.
- "Vice President Harris, a former prosecutor, will be fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President," her campaign told ABC in a letter The Washington Post obtained.
What they're saying: Jason Miller, a Trump campaign senior adviser, told Axios in a statement that the campaign "accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate" planned when President Biden was still in the race.
How to watch: The 90-minute debate will be moderated by ABC "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir and ABC News Live "Prime" anchor Linsey Davis.
- It will run at 9pm on ABC News with two commercial breaks and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu, per ABC News. Other networks, including Fox News, will also carry the debate live.
By the numbers: A poll conducted last week from Emerson College and The Hill shows Trump still holding a solid lead in Ohio.
- 53% of likely Ohio voters preferred Trump, compared to 43% for Harris.
- 4% of voters were undecided.
Zoom in: The same poll shows a much tighter Senate race between Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown and Republican challenger Bernie Moreno.
- Voters preferred Brown 46% to 44%, a statistical tie within the poll's margin of error.
- Another 10% were undecided.
What's next: Ohio voter registration for the November election ends Oct. 7. Early voting starts Oct. 8.
- You can register to vote or update your registration online.