Tuesday’s presidential debate in Philadelphia will offer voters in swing states a chance to hear Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump define their policy platforms on a national level.

WHYY News political reporter Carmen Russell-Sluchansky is covering the debate and provided a preview along with WHYY “Morning Edition” host Jennifer Lynn.

___

CR: Good morning, Jennifer.

JL: The venue for the debate, the National Constitution Center, is inside a security perimeter that now encompasses several blocks, including WHYY and parts of Independence Mall. Access is severely restricted. So Carmen, who will actually be at the Constitution Center tonight?

CR: Well, the candidates, of course, and some staff and Secret Service, but there will be no public, and even the media is very limited. Most of the media will actually be in the filing center that’s been set up in the Convention Center, a couple of blocks away.

JL: And are there any other important people present at the debate that you can talk to?

CR: There will be plenty of campaign surrogates, including members of Congress and others. And some are already there, like Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat who I saw at a press conference yesterday. He said Harris’s main job will be to motivate Democrats.

Wes Moore: This election is going to be determined by people who choose to vote and people who choose not to. And so I think she’s going to be able to articulate and share why it’s so necessary for people to be part of this process. I think one of the greatest dangers that we’ve seen from the former president is that it creates so much noise and chaos that I think it’s actually contributed to the level of skepticism that people feel about the system.

CR: Moore expects former President Donald Trump to be quite irascible.

JL: And what would be the Democrats’ strategy to counter that?

CR: Well, I was able to speak with Senator Sharif St., who is currently the chairman of the Pennsylvania Democrats, and he told me that he expects Harris to focus on policy.

Sharif Street: Look, I think Donald Trump will be Donald Trump. I think Kamala Harris will present her vision for America. I think she will not play into Donald Trump’s theatrics. I think she will stay focused. Let’s talk about the vision she has for America.

JL: Okay. And what do the Republicans want to get out of this debate, Carmen?

CR: Republicans I’ve spoken to expect their candidate to effectively put Harris on the record when it comes to policies that she’s developed, let’s say, since she ran in 2020. This is Jim Worthington from Bucks County, who has been a major donor to Trump’s campaign and other Republican causes.

Jim Worthington: She said something then and now she’s trying to moderate. I don’t think anyone’s going to believe that. So they’re going to ask her directly, point blank, you know, where do you stand on all these different things like immigration, the borders, dismantling the police, Israel … all sorts of things, fracking, there’s so many things that she’s changed her mind about.

JL: I mean, has she changed her mind on that many things? We’ve heard about the fracking flip-flop.

CR: Well, there are a number of ways she’s evolved. When I was talking to Jim Worthington, I asked him this question, are politicians allowed to flip-flop? And he said … evolving is talking about it when you’re vice president, not when you’re running for president.

JL: Who is undecided at this point and will this debate help anyone cash in their vote? Or is it really, as Gov. Moore said, that the election is decided by the candidate who puts out his voters?

CR: Well, turnout is going to play a big role in the election and there aren’t that many undecided voters, but it’s there and it could have an impact given how close the race is in Pennsylvania. I spoke to a woman named Ileen Fink who said she’s still deciding. She feels like neither candidate is addressing the issues that she’s most concerned about, particularly the environment and health care.

Ileen Fink: When Hillary ran against Trump years ago, I chose a completely different party, environment, independence, something like that, because I was for neither. But I think we’ll see what the debate has to say.

JL: Carmen, is she voting for Trump?

CR: She won’t vote for Trump, but she hasn’t made up her mind about Harris yet.

JL: I understand there were some protests planned as well. They’re scheduled for tonight. I’m guessing there’s going to be an anti-war demonstration.

CR: Yeah, the Philly Palestine Coalition is organizing a protest outside the Constitution Center, but there will also be a pro-Trump rally and an anti-abortion rally. I’m not sure exactly where they’re planning to rally, given all the streets are closed, but our news department will be covering that, and we’ll also be at a few viewing parties around town.

JL: Excellent. Well, thank you very much. I enjoyed having you here this morning.

CR: You’re welcome, Jennifer.