4 Takeaways From The Mike Pence, Kamala Harris Vice Presidential Debate

Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the vice presidential debate with Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Wednesday.

Eric Baradat / AFP via Getty Images

After a raucous debate between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden last month that was marked by constant interruptions, name-calling and a moderator unable to control the discussion, Wednesday night’s vice presidential debate marked a return to a more traditional affair.

It’s unclear whether it will be the last debate of the 2020 presidential campaign. Trump is recovering at the White House and sidelined — at least for the moment — from the campaign trail after being hospitalized with COVID-19. The president said he plans to travel to Miami for the planned townhall-style debate next Thursday, and Biden said he is also planning to participate — but only if the president is no longer ill.

While most voters don’t base their decision on the vice presidential candidates, 2020’s contest is possibly different. Biden is 77 and has presented himself as a “transitional” figure to the Democratic Party’s next generation. And the president is 74 and has contracted a serious illness.