VP Debate Takeaways: Pandemic Looms Over More Civil Fight

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wednesday's vice presidential debate had sharp moments, some modest interruptions and violations of the debate clock.

But the dynamics between Republican Mike Pence and Democrat Kamala Harris represented a rare 2020 return to some semblance of normal presidential politics.

The candidates were separated by plexiglass out of concern for spread of the coronavirus from cases emanating from the White House.

Harris immediately put Pence on the defensive, calling Trump’s pandemic response “the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country.”

Pence expressed sympathy for all those affected by the pandemic, and he accused Harris of “playing politics with people’s lives.”