DENVER — For the first, and possibly only time, Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump are preparing to debate one another on Tuesday.
Recent polls show the race in a virtual tie, and what happens Tuesday could set the course for the remainder of the campaign trail.
"For her, I think it's a chance to draw a really strong contrast with former President Trump," said Phil Chen, a DU political science professor. "For President Trump. It's a chance to say, okay, uh, let me define my opponent in a different way."
Chen told Denver7 he doesn't expect the debate to sway too many opinions, but it's likely lots of eyes will be watching.
"Debates don't have a huge effect, but they can have some effect. And so it'll be interesting to see, but I think that the stakes are very different. They'll be high for both candidates," he said.
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While the presidential candidates prepare for their prime time debate, others in the Denver metro are preparing to ramp up their voter registration efforts as campaigns kick into full gear.
"We're going to be doing some phone banking, calling black voters across the state to make sure that they know there's an election this year," said Lauren Smith, who works with Soul to 2 Soul Sisters, a non-profit working, in part, to increase voter registration across the metro.
Smith says in the coming weeks, she and others with Soul 2 Soul Sisters will be setting up tabling events to speak and register eligible community members to vote. They will also be sending out text messages and mailers, as well.
"There's a lot of desire to have tools to have meaningful conversations and get ready to cast that vote," Smith said.
While Smith's sights are set on increase voter numbers, across the country, much of the focus will be on the stage where the two presidential candidates will debate one another on an array of topics important to the American people.