According to Professor Benita Heiskanen, mental images are an essential part when studying who will win the election debate.
Yrjö Kokkonen,
Roni Kuronen,
Elias Peltonen
10.9. 17:43•Updated 10.9. 18:47
In the United States, possibly the only election debate of the presidential election is the vice president Horrible Harris and former president Donald Trump’s sometimes Finnish time on the night before Wednesday.
The debate can be watched live via Areena. However, the argument is not recorded, so it cannot be viewed later.
Watch the election debate via this link from Areena on Wednesday morning from 4 o’clock:
The debate will be held in Philadelphia and will be televised by ABC News. Through this link you will get more information about the arrangements for the debate and the rules agreed by the parties.
also takes up the debate and its themes in its own news coverage at night and in the morning.
Important for the election result
Professor at the John Morton Center of the University of Turku Benita Heiskanen considers the debate very important in terms of the election result. According to the polls, the support of the candidates is at a very high level.
The parties have not been able to agree on other debates, so this may be the only opportunity for voters to see the candidates debate each other live.
The election campaign, especially for Harris, has been very short. In some states, early voting will begin soon.
Benita Heiskanen urges you to pay attention to the following points in the debate:
1. How the candidates’ personality comes out
The TV debate is a way for the candidates to present to the viewers what kind of president they would get, says Heiskanen. Kamala Harris is still quite unknown to some of the voters, so she must know how to tell about herself.
The personalities of the candidates differ very clearly.
– Harris is well known as a person who focuses on details and prepares meticulously, while Trump usually leads debates quite easily, Heisanen characterizes.
2. Making a nest separation to another
According to Heiskanen, it is essential how much in the debate one gets to bite into the politics itself. At least Harris wants to talk about substantive issues, Heiskanen thinks.
The political positions of the candidates are clearly different.
Trump raises immigration and economic issues. Harris’s strong area is at least abortion rights.
Heiskanen reminds that mental images are of great importance. Harris is being portrayed as the candidate of law and order, while Trump is a convicted felon.
3. Experience and lack thereof
Donald Trump is already running his third presidential campaign. He is a very experienced election debater.
Kamala Harris’s situation is different. He has participated in practically only one similar debate, which was the debate of the vice presidential candidates in 2020 Mike Pence against.
Harris has even been criticized for not participating during the campaign at all, even in press conferences where he could have been tested for answers to current questions.
On the other hand, Harris is an experienced speaker and has worked as a prosecutor. The best forces of the Democratic Party are training him for the debate. According to Heiskanen, Harris has to be careful with his words. He has made some mistakes in the past for which he has had to pay later.
4. Do the nerves hold?
Heiskanen thinks it is possible that the debate will turn into a heated one. There may be provocations, so the nerves of the candidates may be put to the test.
However, the frenzy can be moderated by the fact that when one candidate is speaking, the other’s microphone is muted, so the importance of interjections decreases. There is also no audience in the studio.