Vice presidential debate bashed as too 'dull' to make a difference

The early reactions to the first and only vice presidential of the 2020 election cycle are that it may be quickly forgotten, save, perhaps, for one fly's two minutes of fame.

Politico's Tim Alberta wasn't overly critical of the performance of either Vice President Mike Pence or Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the Democratic vice presidential nominee, but he deemed the event too "dull" to make any real difference in the presidential race.

McClatchy's Alex Roarty noted that both candidates put some of their debate skills on display and suggested Harris coming across as "credible" might be the most important long-term takeaway from the showdown, but he largely agreed there wasn't too much to write home about overall.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Axios' Mike Allen likewise ended his "snap-analysis newsletter" on the debate by saying: "It was more polite than Trump vs. Biden. But we didn't learn a lot more."