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

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 8 October 2020

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

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

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."

Explore More

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.