EDITORIAL: At the debate, Harris needs to explain her flip flops

After the last presidential debate, one of the candidates dropped out. It’s unlikely anything that dramatic will come out of Tuesday’s debate, but there’s plenty to watch for.

Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris has the most pressure. That’s largely due to two factors. First, she became the de facto nominee less than two months ago. This cycle, she didn’t endure a primary gantlet that introduced her to voters. Candidates who win primaries go through a series of ups and downs. Voters see how they handle the stress and pressure as individual candidates. They build their own political identity.

Since the nomination was handed to her, Harris didn’t get that chance. People know her best as President Joe Biden’s VP. Their administration passed inflation-producing policies, opened the border to illegal immigrants and lost the war in Afghanistan. That’s not a great record.

She hasn’t been able to move away from it either. In what may be a low-key attempt at sabotage.

Mr. Biden’s team keeps tying her to their administration. At a Monday media briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said about their working relationship, “We want to make sure that the American people understand that this continues to be a partnership.”

To avoid looking out of touch, Ms. Harris needs to acknowledge the problems Americans are enduring from that partnership. But even that comes with a downside. A clever ad from the Trump campaign shows Harris talking about high prices for food and rent. It then cuts to Harris saying, “That is called Bidenomics.”

Ms. Harris’ second challenge in this debate is to tell the American public what her policies are — and aren’t. She needs to explain her current position on a host of far left positions she once supported. That included banning fracking, gas-powered engines and plastic straws. She also said she supported slavery reparations, decriminalizing border crossings and government-funded health care for illegal immigrants. Her campaign has tried to reverse those positions. She needs to explain if she’s actually changed her mind and what caused her to flip-flop.

Voters will be watching former president Donald Trump closely, too. Polling suggests he’s well-positioned to earn a second term. But a segment of voters who prefer his policy results could be turned off by personal attacks or boorish behavior. He needs to keep the debate focused on Ms. Harris’ radical record and contrast his achievements with the failures of the Biden-Harris administration.

The pressure is even higher because this may be the only time Americans get to hear these two debate. Every word counts.