A big question is whether this debate was enough to change the tone, issues or direction of the race. It certainly was less painful to watch than the first one. But a key difference between the candidates is in how they think about who they’re trying to reach. Democrats have a disadvantage in the Electoral College and a more patchwork coalition of groups to hold together. This requires presidential candidates to tack to the center and to try to speak to voters outside their base, and I think we saw that reflected in much of what Biden said. Republican presidential candidates also usually try to do this, seeking a national majority. But Trump has never commanded a national majority — not in the 2016 election, not in most of his policy stances, not in his approval numbers. And that seemed evident in his responses tonight. He spoke to the priorities of his supporters and the zero-sum “winning” narrative regarding the Democrats — running against the Obama administration more than once. We were watching two candidates answer the same questions but operating according to different strategies and principles.