The general election polls show former President Donald Trump with a small lead over President Joe Biden before the first presidential debate. The key to winning this debate will be which candidate can pull in the Nikki Haley voters who have remained without a candidate since she suspended her campaign in March. 

Haley voters are historically moderate Republicans who are a mix of college-educated and independent voters who could help swing the election. The candidates tonight will have to speak to voters like Emily Roberson of Raleigh, North Carolina. She said she believed Haley was speaking to the feelings of many voters. “I think she represents best what a lot of us are feeling, kind of left out of both sides of the equation, whether you are more liberal or more conservative,” Roberson told NPR. “I just think she speaks to the ‘missing middle.’”