Vice President Mike Pence gave a strong debate performance on Wednesday, a performance his campaign desperately needed following a terrible week for the White House as well as President Trump’s wild performance at the presidential debate.
Pence proved to be, as he so frequently does, Trump’s mild-mannered foil. He went beyond his time on several occasions, speaking past the moderator, but that is to be expected at debates. The important thing is that his tone was the exact opposite of what Trump offered in his debate with Joe Biden. Pence pushed Sen. Kamala Harris on a number of issues, including whether the Democratic ticket supports court-packing proposals. She and Biden have not answered that question, and she deflected again.
Pence was coherent and, for the most part, delivered strong answers and strong rebuttals. “Sen. Harris, you’re entitled to your own opinion, but you’re not entitled to your own facts,” he said. She conceded, “It’s a good line.”
Trump’s unconventional character is his brand, but his erratic nature gets exhausting, especially to rank-and-file Republican officials. Just watch how they wiggle out of answering for the president’s questionable and even indefensible statements. Pence is an even-keeled, conventional Republican in every sense that Trump is not, and for that reason, he helps situate the ticket with some sense of normalcy.
Trump and Pence have a lot of ground to make up. Things are not trending in their direction. They are behind in the polls, and the last week has not been good for their campaign. Pence helped their chances.
