Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are preparing for Tuesday night's debate in Philadelphia, as polls continue to show a tight race across the board.
According to 538 , Harris holds nearly a 3-point lead nationally, though the margin between the two candidates in five battleground states (Arizona, Georgia Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania) is less than 1%.
"It's a highly unusual situation that we basically have about the shortest campaign that we've seen in decades," explained John Dinan, a Political Science Professor at Wake Forest University.
Harris became the presumptive nominee in July after President Joe Biden announced he would no longer seek the nomination . Harris did not face a challenge at the Democratic National Convention, as supporters ultimately coalesced behind her campaign.
Since then, she has seen a big bump in her favorability rating , with the campaign reporting huge upticks in volunteers and strong fundraising figures.
At a Democratic Party field office in Raleigh, workers made phone calls and canvassed for Kamala Harris.
"I got texts today. 'Where can I make a difference? Where can I put my money? I want to knock on doors. I want to write postcards and make phone calls.' I have not ever seen this level of excitement on the Democratic side in North Carolina," said Representative Deborah Ross, who represents North Carolina's 2nd District.
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However, Republicans have criticized Harris for not providing specific policies, while working to connect her campaign to her time in the Biden administration.
"Her day one was three-and-a-half years ago, and trying to rebrand herself as something new is quite laughable. She's an individual that's going to continue on the same policy trajectory that we've seen the worst administration these last 3.5 years bring and deliver," said NCGOP Chairman Jason Simmons.
According to polling from The New York Times and Siena College , 31% of respondents said they felt they needed to learn more about Vice President Harris, compared to just 12% saying the same about Trump.
"The stakes are in some ways higher for the Harris campaign to kind of make that case to people who are still finding out about her," said Dinan.
Local Republicans will be watching the debate with great interest as former President Donald Trump attempts to again win North Carolina.
"I think (Vice President) Harris has both a lower floor and a higher ceiling. And so just based off of that reality, I think that this debate is a bigger opportunity for her. It's also a bigger risk for her because it can swing it one way or the other," said Dr. Caleb Husmann, an Associate Professor of Political Science at William Peace University.
Harris ran for President in 2020 but dropped out of the race before the Iowa primary. Husmann said he believes her track record from that race will be a point of discussion Tuesday night.
"She took a number of stances when she was running the first time around back in 2020 that ultimately she's changed her position on. And so far it's basically been surrogates or her staff that have explained those 'flip flops' or changes of policy. And she's going to have to do it herself this time," said Husmann.
An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos Poll last month found voters listed the economy and inflation as the top two most important issues this cycle, with each candidate expected to lay out their vision during the debate.
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"When we look at what the last four years has really done to the middle class, especially when groceries are more expensive, gas is more expensive," said Billy Ward, Second Vice Chair of the Wake County GOP.
"I think (Vice President Harris) can point to the future. She has come out talking about providing more tax breaks for small businesses, trying to control inflation a little bit better, particularly the price at the grocery stores," noted Henry Jarrett, President of Progressive Democrats of Wake County.
Both campaigns will be holding watch parties Tuesday night, as they look to motivate their bases while reaching out to undecided voters to expand their reach.
"If we look at what (Trump) did while he was president, we had a strong economy, stronger national security, more stability internationally. I think that's the winning message in this debate," said Ward.
"I think the state party has done a really good job over the last couple of years since we got our new (North Carolina Democratic) party Chair (Anderson Clayton) to try to reach out to the more rural, redder areas because that's going to be the key. You cannot win in North Carolina just based on the metropolitan areas alone. You've got to reach out to the wraparound counties like Harnett, Johnston, Granville and all those areas," said Jarrett.
Democrats have invested heavily in North Carolina, setting up offices statewide, as they look to flip the state for the first time since 2008. Trump has carried North Carolina in 2016 and 2020, though his more recent victory was his closest of the cycle.
"Given that North Carolina is one of the very few states that is possibly competitive, no surprise that Democrats would make a serious run at North Carolina and see what happens," said Dinan.
Supporters of each campaign exuded confidence in their prospects to win North Carolina.
"We're looking forward to President Trump being able to highlight the policy differences that you have when he was president versus where Kamala Harris, for the last three and a half years, she's been the copilot for the worst administration. And so President Trump's going to be able to talk about how he's going to restore America's greatness, restore our economy, and especially making sure we protect our southern border and restore the standing in the world," said Simmons.
"(Vice President Harris) is going to talk about a future economy that helps everyone, that grows the middle class, and contrast with the Trump tax cuts that benefited corporations and the richest Americans and really never trickled down. She is going to talk about reproductive freedom, the right to abortion, the right to IVF, the right to birth control, and how important this is for women and their families. Those two issues are the two issues that I hear most about on the campaign trail," said Ross.
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