Commanding debate performance hands Kamala Harris the club

Presidential candidate Kamala Harris delivered the strong performance that Democrats had hoped to see at last night's ABC News presidential debate, leaving her opponent angry, defensive and unable to resist her baiting remarks. She spent the evening drawing him onto favorable ground and letting him flail, allowing her to direct her own appeals to progressives and conservatives alike.

Afterward, most outlets and commentators credited her with with a commanding win, with Republicans looking to blame moderators, handlers and practice debate partners after the former president prattled on about nonsense instead of tackling questions or even Harris herself.

If debates are won and lost on which candidate best takes advantage of issues where they are strong – and defends or deflects on areas of weakness – Tuesday night tilted in favour of the vice-president. A snap CNN poll of voters watching said that Harris performed better and betting markets said the same. … The pattern for much of this debate was Harris goading her Republican rival into making extended defences of his past conduct and comments. He gladly obliged, raising his voice at times and shaking his head. Americans should go to [a MAGA] rally, Harris said during an early question about immigration, because they were illuminating. "People start leaving the rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom," she said. That barb clearly rattled the former president, as he then spent most of his answer – on a topic that should have been one of his main areas of strength – defending his rally sizes and belittling hers.

Even Fox News wasn't feeling their man's performance—"Make no mistake" about his "bad night," said one presenter—leaving it to fringe outlets to conjure up supportive coverage based on online polls, screenshots of tweets, and complaints about her laughing.