Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) said in an interview on MSNBC's “Katie Tarr Report” on Monday that he's “not convinced” that Tuesday's presidential debate will shake up the balance of power in the race between Vice President Harris and former President Trump.
“I believe Harris will win. [the debate]”President Trump will put in a strong performance, but I don't think that will change the fundamental dynamics,” he said.
Fetterman said that given how familiar voters are with Trump at this point, the debate is unlikely to reveal any new facts or change the minds of voters who are already confident in Trump.
“People understand who Trump is and I don't know why some people are so attracted to him, but I'm not convinced this debate is going to change things significantly given everything that's been done and happened,” he said.
Fetterman hosted Harris in western Pennsylvania last week to prepare for the debate in Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes and is likely to be the most important battleground state in the election, and Tarr noted that no Democrat has won a presidential election anywhere other than Pennsylvania since 1948.
Fetterman said his mission in the coming weeks is to ensure Democrats are “everywhere” and mobilize voters to counter Trump's strong support in Pennsylvania's small towns.
be A recent CBS pollHarris and Trump are neck and neck in Pennsylvania, but The Hill/Decision Desk polling average has her leading Trump by less than 1 percentage point in the state and about 3 percentage points nationally.
Fetterman said he doesn't think either candidate will ultimately win the state, but he believes the majority of Pennsylvanians don't want to go back to the “chaotic and confusing” days of the Trump presidency.
Harris' decision to choose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate over Pennsylvania's popular governor, Josh Shapiro, is coming under increased scrutiny as Pennsylvania moves increasingly toward the political center.
“Harris missed a major opportunity to move to the center by choosing Tim Walz over Josh Shapiro,” pollster Nate Silver wrote Sunday.
Harris has shifted her positions on several issues, including fracking and border control, in an effort to win over centrist voters.
Many Republicans have urged Trump to focus on policy, rather than personal attacks on Harris' gender and ethnicity, in the debate and in his broader remarks about her.
Harris is viewing herself as the “underdog” going into the debate after seeing a plateau in the polls following a surge since entering the race.
“It's going to be a very close race at this point because it's a very tough choice,” Fetterman said.
