Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are hunkered down tonight as they prepare to go head to head tomorrow in their first and likely only debate of the election cycle.

It's a high stakes moment for the two, who have never met in person, and is expected to be their most significant single event in the race to the white House.

For more on what to expect, I'm joined by Democratic strategist Dan Bryan and GOP strategist Chris Russell.

Dan and Chris, good to see you both.

It feels like, the political news cycle, the election cycle has sort of word and kicked into high gear again.

Now that we're in September, sure does look like Mikie Sherrill is running for governor with the new ad out.

We're waiting, of course, for Josh Gottheimer.

Dan, what's the strategy here based on this campaign video?

It's interesting.

Yeah, I think you're going to see a number of Democrats that are running in this cycle and then considering running for governor next year, using this, election as a way to springboard themselves statewide, talking about more than just federal issues, maybe talking about statewide issues as well.

I think it's smart.

You know, a lot of these districts used to be swing districts.

You talk about CD five, city 11, city three.

They're really pretty safe now.

So using it to, you know, bolster yourself for this cycle.

But then going into the next cycle is pretty smart.

Chris, it's pretty much been the worst kept secret, at least in political circles, for the last year that Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer would be running.

Yet neither have, formally put their hat in the ring.

What do you make of that?

And how are Republicans countering that?

Yeah, I agree, it's a it's a terribly kept secret because we we all know that running although the campaign finance laws kind of prevent them from getting out there and way that they probably could.

But as Dan said, they're going to use the money they have in their congressional accounts to run campaigns that broaden their name and their their message to people.

And it's to be expected.

I mean, they're campaigns that have just yet to begin, really, in terms of officially.

Well, let me switch gears then to what will be happening tomorrow night.

Biden, rather Kamala Harris and, former President Trump are taking the stage.

This is a pretty consequential moment.

Yeah.

Dan I mean, it's it's somewhat make or break given what happened to President Biden in that disastrous performance in the summer.

Exactly.

Brianna, and I will add one more thing as well.

I don't think we're getting any more debates.

I think this is it.

Especially if, Kamala Harris underperforms.

I don't think she will.

I think she's going to do very well tomorrow night.

But there's no way that, President Trump would do another debate with her.

So I think this is a one and done tomorrow.

I think she's going to do very well.

I think she's going to show people why the Democratic Party unified behind her so quickly, and so energetically, and why there's been so much energy behind her candidacy.

But it is, you know, you hate to say so much rides on one night, but there's no question that this is a big one.

Yeah, Chris, I mean, the momentum, you can't deny it.

Since, Harris took the ticket.

And yet we're seeing two very different ways that both candidates are going out there.

Debate prep, is there a concern that President Trump won't be able to restrain himself on stage?

There's a lot of talk about his debates with, Hillary Clinton.

And whether or not we'll see some of that version of Trump revived.

Listen, I thought his debates whether it might have been artful for some, but his debates can.

Hillary Clinton were effective.

I think his his bad debate was the first one against Biden in 2020, and he learned that lesson and appeared in the first debate and finally let Biden implode in front of him and didn't get in his way.

For the most part, I think I don't think either candidate will have that kind of performance, that, that President Biden had.

But both of them have clear objectives in this.

Our honeymoon period is wearing off.

The polling nationally is basically a dead heat, in the national popular vote and also in these swing states.

So I think, and she has to prove that she is more than just, you know, the pomp and circumstance of a of, of a convention and kind of the honeymoon she had coming in.

And President Trump needs to focus on policy.

He can't be baited into fights with her on personality and other things, and I'm sure she's going to try to get him to do that.

He focuses on the policies of taxes, immigration, energy.

He can win this debate because he is, frankly, and a lot of people have an argument.

This too, he is more moderate than Kamala Harris.

She is far left.

He can occupy the center and do a good job for himself in this debate.

If he if he can just be disciplined enough to do that, which I think he will.

All due respect to my good friend Chris there, I think calling her more extreme, calling Donald Trump more moderate than Kamala Harris's, a little I'm not sure I fully agree with that.

I think Donald Trump is, extreme, a danger to the party, damage to the country, etc..

Listen, she just put out a big issues, page today on her web site.

I'm sure she's going to be talking through a lot of her policies and issues, in the debate tomorrow night.

And, listen, the polls are going to go up.

They're going to go down.

Early voting is starting pretty soon.

I don't think we can.

You know, you can't celebrate when you get a good poll.

You can't sweat the bad ones.

This is going to be a roller coaster.

And I think Chris and I could both agree this is going to be razor thin going into November.

Dan Bryan, Chris Russell, good to talk to you both.

You too Bri, thank you so much.