Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Scott Walker reportedly played the role of Kamala Harris during Pence's debate prep

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published 8 October 2020

To prepare for Wednesday night's debate, Vice President Mike Pence participated in three 90-minute practice sessions with former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) all standing in as Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), NBC News' Hallie Jackson reports.

Pence also received debate help from Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who called him on the phone, a person with knowledge of the matter told Jackson.

On Harris' side, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg played the role of Pence during their debate prep. In an interview with Indianapolis Monthly published on Sunday, Buttigieg said it would "be a real mistake to underestimate" Pence's skills as a debater, adding that he was "very effective in 2016." Buttigieg appeared on MSNBC after Wednesday's debate and said he was "so proud" of Harris' performance, and later tweeted that she "powerfully made the case for why we must end the chaos and restore decency by electing Joe Biden."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.