The impact of a debate is pretty minimal if an insect can steal the show

Pundits talked up the vice presidential debate, pointing out that it was more important this cycle because both candidates are among the oldest ever to run. Overall, the night was notable for its relative calmness, a far cry from the first presidential debate, but despite a surprise appearance from an insect, signs point to an event that will have little impact on the race.

Tracking Twitter during the debate finds that Senator Harris was able to sustain more conversation around her, though the elevated conversation sent her sentiment tumbling. Vice President Pence was only able to catch-up in the sheer volume of tweets with an infusion of activity from the fly incident.

The activity on Twitter aligned with what public opinion polling picked up on as well. Post-debate polling Ipsos conducted with FiveThirtyEight finds that Vice President Pence’s favorability did not budge post-debate. Senator Harris enjoyed a slight bump in her favorable numbers after the debate, a product of improved rating among those who see the senator very favorably.

An uptick in these favorability ratings could be a modest boon for the Biden-Harris ticket. Hostility to Trump drives many supporters to the Democrats campaign rather than any special attachment to Biden. Positive movement for Senator Harris on this front may help bind supporters more closely to their campaign rather than relying on strong opposition to the president.

Even while many experienced the subdued, politicians-not-answering-questions throwback that the veep debate gave viewers, that atmosphere won’t last. As a reelection campaign is a referendum on the president, and more so when the president is Donald Trump, it will be hard for the talking points and tone of the debate to override that central point.

Still, it was a much-watched event. About 57 million people turned on their television to see Vice President Pence and Senator Harris compete. More likely watched, as those numbers from Nielsen do not include people streaming the debate. By comparison, only 37 million viewed the 2016 VP debate. So, while the Twitter Tracker and polling paint a picture of a race left largely unchanged following Wednesday night, the high viewership stats show a public eager to hear from each campaign.

Given that the next presidential debate was cancelled because of President Trump’s convalescences from his bout with COVID-19, the public is anxious for some information from the campaigns. As the election rounds the final stretch, more questions than answers remain for many amid a bitter presidential contest.