Philly To Host First Debate Between Kamala Harris And Donald Trump

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The first debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will take place in Philadelphia next month, once again bringing the city and the state of Pennsylvania to the forefront of the national political stage.

The event will be held at 9 p.m. on Sept. 10 at the National Constitution Center and will be broadcast on ABC, ABC News announced.

It's not yet clear if there will be a live audience for the event, according to the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis will moderate the event.

It comes as Harris has stormed back from a significant lead which Trump held over President Biden in the polls. Harris now leads Trump by one point nationally, according to an aggregate of polls from RealClearPolitics.

The pair are virtually tied in Pennsylvania, with Trump holding a 0.2 point lead.

The decision comes after weeks of back and forth and disagreement between the campaigns over the location and host of the event.

While Democratic candidates debated in Philadelphia twice during the 2008 primary, and multiple vice presidential debates have been held in the city, Pennsylvania has not hosted a presidential debate since Gerald Ford debated Jimmy Carter at the Walnut Street Theatre in 1976.

Presidential debates may have never played such a figurative role in the electoral process as they did this past June, when Biden's struggles against Trump along with plummeting poll numbers sent waves of panic in the Democratic party that ultimately led to the president's decision to not run for a second term.

More than 50 million people watched the first debate.