[Source: Reuters]

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump meet for the first time on Tuesday night in their only scheduled debate, a clash that could prove pivotal in their pitched battle for the White House.

The nationally televised debate beginning at 9 p.m. ET (0100 GMT on Wednesday) takes place just eight weeks before the Nov. 5 election. The race is a close one that could easily swing in either direction and early voting will start in some states in the coming days.

The encounter is particularly important for Harris, with opinion polls showing that more than a quarter of likely voters feel they do not yet know enough about her, in contrast to the well-known former president.

The debate offers Harris, a former prosecutor, a chance to make her case against Trump, whose felony convictions, outspoken backing for supporters convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and frequent falsehoods offer plenty of fertile ground.

It will be the first time the two candidates have met and follows weeks of personal attacks on Harris by Trump and his allies that have included racist and sexist insults.

A similar outburst on stage could turn off undecided voters, according to John Geer, a professor at Vanderbilt University and an expert on presidential politics.

Harris is prepared for the possibility.

Harris will discuss the economy and her plans for bringing down food and housing prices, her campaign advisers said.

Trump’s advisers and fellow Republicans have urged him to focus on Tuesday on illegal immigration and high prices, issues that play well with voters, and on portraying Harris as too liberal for the country.

Lara Trump, the candidate’s daughter-in-law, said Trump had prepared for the debate. “He’s ready to talk about why your life was better when he was in office,” she said on CNN.

Presidential debates do not necessarily change voters’ minds, but they can transform the dynamics of a race. President Joe Biden’s performance against Trump in June was so damaging that it eventually led him to abandon his campaign.