Campaigns Dig in Ahead of First Presidential Debate
Campaigns Dig in Ahead of First Presidential Debate
While both campaigns have been lowering expectations ahead of Wednesday’s first presidential debate, two of Mitt Romney’s more notable surrogates raised the bar on Sunday, with one predicting Romney will turn the race “upside down.”
Both New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. John McCain said they expect Romney to shine when he shares the Denver stage for the first time with President Barack Obama.
“We have a candidate who is going to do extraordinarily well on Wednesday night,” Chris Christie said on “Face the Nation” on CBS. The Republican governor said Romney will have his first chance to directly contrast his vision for the country with that of Obama.
“This whole race is going to be turned upside down come Thursday morning,” Christie said.
McCain — who has debated both Obama and Romney — also predicted Romney will fare well this week. He said the debate will likely have more viewers than any other presidential showdown in history and argued that both candidates will “do excellent in their own way.”
“I think you could argue that Mitt has had a lot more recent experience, obviously,” McCain said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”…
The president’s campaign spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, told reporters on Air Force One that Obama likely won’t be flinging barbs during this week’s presidential debate.
“If you’re expecting that, that’s probably not what he’s going to deliver,” Psaki said.” He’s speaking directly to the American people and what they want to hear is what his plan is for moving the country forward.”