Pence debate prep featured Sarah Sanders, Scott Walker, and Pam Bondi as Kamala Harris

Walker was instrumental in the successful 2016 debate prep; no one knows better how to parry hostile questions about President Trump’s record than Sanders; and Bondi brought the sort of probing prosecutor dynamic that Harris will deploy.

Using women as stand-ins was important, said Short, but each brought additional qualities.

“I don’t think it’s a gender-specific thing. Sarah, having been a part of the administration, I think knows sensitive spots,” he told the Washington Examiner.

“And I think Pam, having been an attorney general and a prosecutor, probably has the sort of perspective that is helpful to us too.”

Pence’s aim will be to offer contrasting visions of America’s future: A high-tax country under Joe Biden and Harris, shackled by the burden of regulation and an emboldened left wing; or a nation where Trump is continuing the economic growth he oversaw and restoring law and order.

After last week’s presidential debate, when policy took a backseat, Short said Pence would welcome the opportunity to focus on issues that matter to voters.

“I think one of the most important things you can do for a principal is to encourage them to stay in character, and that’s not hard. Mike is true to himself and will be again,” he said.

Preparation was largely finished by last Friday, when Trump was taken into hospital with COVID-19 adding a fresh twist.

More wrinkles followed on the eve of the debate, when the president announced on Twitter he was breaking off stimulus negotiations. Later, he reversed course, calling on Congress to pass coronavirus aid measures.

Each threatened a new front for Harris to exploit and a new question for Pence to consider.

But it still meant the vice president was able to spend time relaxing with his family for dinner after arriving in Salt Lake City on Monday evening and hiking in the hills around the city the following day.

The stakes could not be higher for a vice presidential debate. Both presidential candidates are in their 70s, and viewers will be looking for evidence that their deputies have what it takes to assume the top job in an emergency.

Short said it was important that preparation involved figures with a close relationship to Pence.

“I think that one of the other things you look for in your sparring partner are people who are actually friends because then, you feel OK getting under your candidate’s skin,” he said. “That’s an important dynamic.”

At its heart was Walker, who surprised aides in 2016 by investing hours and hours researching Sen. Tim Kaine, Pence’s opponent, watching his previous debate performances.

“It wasn’t like a staffer did it and said, ‘Here, Scott, here’s what you need.’ Scott did it himself, spent hours doing it to help Mike,” Short said. “We wanted his integral involvement because finding a friend like that who put in that amount of time is really hard to.”

Research was continually dripped into the process. But it all revolved around three, 90-minute sessions with moderators designed to mimic conditions on the night.

“You walk in, clock starts, and you try to abide by the same rules the debate has,” said Short, who oversaw the prep work and played the role of moderator along with Walker and Sanders.

“We did not have plexiglass.”

A dispute erupted on Tuesday, when it emerged that Harris’s team wanted a plexiglass shield around the candidates. The Pence team insisted there was no medical evidence to suggest it would offer protection to candidates 12-feet distant, prompting a day of back-and-forth with the debate commission.

And then there were the eleventh-hour presidential tweets.

“Have you been on your phone tonight?” asked Short on the evening before the debate. “That’s still evolving.”