Morning Report — Post-debate: What’s next for Harris, Trump?

Two days after Vice President Harris and former President Trump faced off in their first presidential debate, one question looms large: Will it move the needle?

Pollsters have characterized the race as one of the closest presidential contests in history, with both candidates zeroing in on key swing states and the undecided and independent voters who could tip the election in their favor. 

More than 67 million people tuned in to Tuesday’s debate on ABC News, according to Nielsen ratings. That total audience figure is 10 million more than watched the debate between Trump and President Biden in May. A CNN flash poll after the debate showed that watchers said 63 percent to 37 percent that Harris turned in a better performance onstage in Philadelphia. 

But whether Trump’s and Harris’s performances swayed voters remains to be seen. 

Democrats are riding high after what they saw as a forceful, controlled debate performance. And while Harris was widely seen by pundits and media outlets as dominating the debate, some undecided voters remained unconvinced that the vice president was the better candidate. Voters interviewed by The New York Times told the paper they were glad Harris has a tax and economic plan, but they want to know how it can become law in a polarized Washington.

“She tried a couple times to say, ‘I want to do this and I want to do that,’ and that’s nice promises,” said Sharon Reed, a retired teacher and undecided voter in Pennsylvania. “I hope she can get them through Congress.”

Reuters: Some undecided voters were not convinced by Harris after the debate. 

The Washington Post: Who won the debate, according to a group of undecided voters.

Republicans, meanwhile, are pointing fingers and blame after Trump — who called his performance “our best debate ever” — fell into traps set by his opponent and struggled to drive home his campaign’s message. They hammered the ABC News moderators, accusing the outlet of disproportionately fact-checking his responses compared to Harris. But some took issue with Trump’s advisers, arguing he was ill-prepared, while others said it was the candidate himself who fell short.

“He missed opportunities to hurt her,” one Republican strategist said. “But it was much lower stakes for him.”

Senate Republicans came away from Tuesday’s debate disappointed, and fear Trump’s angry rants will be what undecided voters take away from the evening. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis (R) told reporters he thinks the debate likely pushed some undecided suburban voters in his home state, a key battleground, toward Harris, though he predicted that most voters have already made up their minds in the election.

“I think you may have a few coming out, particularly [in the] female demographic, that’s lean-Harris now,” he said. “I believe we missed a lot of opportunities [Tuesday] night.”

“The Julie Mason Show” on SiriusXM: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.): On policy, “Trump wins” — it’s his demeanor that is a challenge for some voters.

The question now is whether Trump and Harris should schedule a second debate. After turning in a strong performance Tuesday, Harris’s team wasted no time calling for a second debate. However, The Hill’s Al Weaver and Alex Gangitano write that a second meeting would raise expectations. While Trump has signaled he may not be up for a rematch, some Republicans believe he could use another bite at the apple. 

Democrats were downright giddy in the aftermath — and want to see it happen again.

“I’d certainly enjoy watching a repeat,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said with a laugh and a smile. “It was a wonder to behold. She was so confident and down to earth and in command.” 

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LEADING THE DAY

POLITICS & CAMPAIGNS

NIGHT AND DAY: On the 23rd anniversary of a terror attack that drew the nation into war and tragedy for decades, Biden, Harris and Trump greeted one another Wednesday in New York City, where they shook hands and paused for respectful silence at the 9/11 Memorial. Just hours before, the vice president and former president pummeled one another during the debate in Philadelphia. Harris suggested to viewers that she, not Trump, would be the most reliable next commander-in-chief and a patriot (The Washington Post).

Both major parties are targeting under-the-radar congressional pickup opportunities while forecasts suggest their chances of winning the lower chamber are close to 50-50. Here are seven potential sleeper races to watch this fall: Senate contests in Nebraska, Florida and Texas; gubernatorial races in Washington and New Hampshire and contests in Pennsylvania’s District 10 and Iowa District 01 (The Hill).

During Tuesday’s debate, Harris played up her support for oil and gas while limiting her public enthusiasm for tackling climate change, a tack to the center. 

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ZOOM IN

CONGRESS   

FUNDING WOES: House GOP leadership scrapped plans Wednesday for a vote on the party’s stopgap funding plan as its chances of passage sank in recent days amid opposition from defense hawks, hard-line conservatives and moderates. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had vowed all week to press forward with a vote on his funding plan — which pairs a six-month continuing resolution with a bill backed by Trump that would require proof of citizenship to vote — even as it became clear he did not have the votes to pass it.

The move by Johnson catapults House GOP leadership back to square one, now needing to craft a conservative stopgap that could pass the House and, in turn, increase the party’s leverage in negotiations with Senate Democrats. Congress has until Sept. 30 to fund the government and avert a shutdown (The Hill).

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ELSEWHERE

INTERNATIONAL 

UKRAINE AID: Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a rare Wednesday wartime visit to Kyiv where he announced $700 million in aid to Ukraine. He offered a sympathetic ear to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is mounting a push to win permission to use long-range U.S. missile systems to strike deep into Russia, despite being rejected last week by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Kyiv’s attempt to sway the Biden administration comes as Ukraine has faced heavy bombardment from Russia in recent days — especially on its power sector (The Hill and The Washington Post).

CEASE-FIRE TALKS: Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the director of Egyptian intelligence Abbas Kamel met Hamas negotiators today to try to break the deadlock in the hostage and cease-fire talks, Axios reports. The White House, meanwhile, has been reassessing its strategy for a deal as they debate whether there is a point in presenting a new proposal as Hamas and Israel both take tougher positions in negotiations.

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THE CLOSER 

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