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White House COVID-19 Outbreak Puts Spotlight on VP Candidates

Katherine Gypson

   WASHINGTON - The debate Wednesday night between Vice President Mike
   Pence and Democratic vice-presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris
   isyet anotherin a longlineof political events upended by the
   coronaviruspandemic.

   In any normal presidential election cycle, thevice-presidentialdebate
   isdeemedsecondary toa series ofpresidential candidate debates that
   usually generate themost memorablemomentsforvoters.

   But in the wakeof74-year-old U.S. President Donald Trump's COVID-19
   diagnosis last week,andthe highly cautious campaigning style of his
   Democratic challenger, 77-year-old former Vice President Joe Biden,
   votersmay takea much closer look at their younger runningmateswho would
   be poised to succeed them if necessary.

   Pence, 61,a former member of Congress and governor of Indiana,will take
   the stagein Salt Lake City, Utah,in the unique position of debating
   whileTrump recuperates at the White Housefrom a deadly,contagious
   virus.

   MeanwhileHarris, 55,aformerCaliforniaattorney generalseeking to become
   the first woman and first African American to become vice
   president,enters the spotlight amid concerns about the age of her
   ticket-mate.

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