Local Leaders and Analysts Preview Presidential Debate

DULUTH, Minn.– With the next presidential election just over a month away, both President Trump and Democratic Nominee Joe Biden will take the stage against each other for the first time in this campaign.

As the two candidates square off Monday night, both the President and Biden will be making their pitches directly to the American people as the presidential race heats up.

Main topics will include the records of both candidates records while in office, the COVID-19 pandemic, and their abilities to lead as president.

“Their points of view and how they would handle current situations. And there is a lot going on right now,” said Cindy Rugeley, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Those involved with Trump’s campaign say this time around, the president will be able to talk about his record of organizing peace deals, protecting American jobs like on the Iron Range, and the strength of the economy before the pandemic.

“We’re way better off now than we were four years ago because the president enacted policies that uplifted all Americans regardless of race, religion, color or creed,” said National Press Secretary for the Trump Campaign Hogan Gidley. That’s going to be something we drive home tonight on the debate stage and something and for the rest of this campaign.”

Some points Democrats expect Biden to cover tonight include what he would do to handle COVID-19, the economy, his critiques of the president’s handling of the pandemic, and his plan to move the country forward through the pandemic.

Minnesota DFL House Majority Whip Liz Olson says Minnesotans will be able to see a clear contrast between the two running for president tonight.

“[Biden will] talk about it in a way that I think will unite people and want people to get behind his work and his vision and his smarts and his empathy and all of these things that we need in a president,” said Olson.

Rugeley says the debates help the American people see both candidates. But it doesn’t mean the debate will have a drastic impact on November’s election.

“I think everybody has pretty well made up their mind unless something over the course of the next month convinces them they need to reassess,” said Rugeley.

After Tuesday night’s debate, President Trump will make his way to Duluth on Wednesday for a rally at the airport.