.jpeg)
Voters acknowledged that the vice president presented a broad vision for addressing the country’s most persistent issues, but they were looking for more detailed specifics.
Vice President Kamala Harris greeted campaign staff in Philadelphia following the debate on Tuesday night. (Credit: Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times)
By Jeremy W. Peters, Jack Healy, and Campbell Robertson
The reporters spoke with voters across five states, asking if the debate had influenced their views on the presidential race.
**Sept. 11, 2024**
*Updated 10:41 a.m. ET*
Sign up for the *On Politics* newsletter, your guide to the 2024 elections. Delivered straight to your inbox. Follow live updates and debate analysis on the Trump and Harris campaigns.
For weeks, undecided voters have been calling for more substance.
.jpeg)
Perhaps that's why Vice President Kamala Harris began the presidential debate on Tuesday with: "I am actually the only person on this stage who has a plan."
However, some Americans remain unconvinced.
Bob and Sharon Reed, both 77 and retired teachers living on a farm in central Pennsylvania, were hopeful the debate between Ms. Harris and former President Donald Trump would help them decide who to support in November.
Instead, Ms. Reed found the debate "all disappointing."
By the end of the night, the couple was left wondering how each candidate’s costly proposals — Mr. Trump’s tariffs and Ms. Harris’s aid for young families and small businesses — would benefit people like them, who live on a fixed income that hasn’t kept up with inflation. They also felt the debate lacked detailed answers on immigration and foreign policy.