Tonight's debate is about who can claim the title of insurgent

KAMALA HARRIS was scorned and undervalued as vice-president but dazzled like Cinderella when she surprised the pundits and radiated “joy” at the ball. She made Donald Trump look like a puffy, jaded, out-dated dancing partner, whom nobody found amusing anymore.

- Sarah Baxter

Tonight we will find out whether her campaign is a pumpkin or whether the glass slipper belongs to her. Has Harris got what it takes to be president or has her “vibes” campaign been a mirage?

The opinion polls can’t tell us who is going to win. But what these neckand-neck polls have demonstrated time and again is that roughly two out of three US voters think the country is on the wrong track. Americans want change. I still believe women voters have the power to sink Trump, but the candidate that can best capture the insurgent energy of this campaign is likely to carry off the prize.

Trump was victorious in 2016 when he was the change agent against Hillary Clinton, with all her decades of baggage. By 2020 voters had tired of his White House antics and replaced him with “Sleepy Joe” Biden. As Trump takes to the stage in Philadelphia tonight, will he be posing as the incumbent, with an established record as president, or as the insurgent with a mandate for change? What about vice-president Harris? They can both lay claim to being insiders and outsiders, with unpredictable consequences for the televised debate.

Harris has the toughest task. Trump’s image is baked in by now, whereas she still has to introduce herself to voters who haven’t been swept up by her successful “brat” summer. But the confidence that led Harris to adopt Beyoncé’s anthem, Freedom, as her theme tune has been replaced by a more cautious, defensive crouch. Avoiding press conferences and interviews in the media hasn’t helped. The downside is that Harris has ditched some of the buzz that surrounded the launch of her candidacy in favour of appearing more presidential than populist.