Aside from the topic on everyone’s mind-- the coronavirus pandemic-- Jason Perry, the director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics, said he anticipates the economy will be an important discussion point during tonight’s debate vice presidential debate in Salt Lake City.
“Both of these candidates are going to have to talk about how they're going to not just get us out of the pandemic, but how they're going to jumpstart the economy going forward,” said Perry.
He is also expecting a focus on the future of the Supreme Court.
“That is something that's high on the minds of Utahns,” Perry said. “If you go back to 2016 and you ask people about why they voted for who they voted for, it was because of the Supreme Court pick. There were a lot of Utahns who were looking for a conservative pick for the Supreme Court. They got it. And that issue has remained high on the list for all Utahns.”
And when it comes to the nature of tonight's debate, Perry believes the vice presidential showdown will be very different than the first presidential one two weeks ago.
“I think this is going to be at least the one debate we get where not only will the candidates be sharp and not really kind of bigger than life, but really getting to the issues themselves,” he said.
As far as the influence the debate may have on voters, Perry sees a couple of possible outcomes.
“Both candidates need to go out tonight and say ‘I you know you love our ticket, but you've got to show up and vote,’” Perry said. “I think that is an important part of tonight. The second thing that utahns are going to get from this debate is a very clear view of the policies and the approach from these candidates.”
