Elections

Republicans declare victory before debate starts

By Lesley Clark

lclark@mcclatchydc.com

October 04, 2016 07:57 PM

VP candidates’ one shot at debate is testy and defensive - Election Rewind

Indiana Governor Mike Pence and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine squared off in the only Vice Presidential debate of the 2016 campaign. Seated at a table with moderator Elaine Quijano, the format was intended to inspire discussion. The conversation prim
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Indiana Governor Mike Pence and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine squared off in the only Vice Presidential debate of the 2016 campaign. Seated at a table with moderator Elaine Quijano, the format was intended to inspire discussion. The conversation prim
By
WASHINGTON

Republicans got a little ahead of themselves on Tuesday, posting an item that declared Mike Pence the winner of the vice presidential debate -- 90 minutes before the debate was scheduled to begin.

When reporters -- and comedians -- began noticing and tweeting the link around, the Republican National Committee took it down, replacing it with a picture of Hillary Clinton and the words “What do Hillary Clinton and this link have in common? They're both ‘dead broke.’ “

The earlier post was titled “Who won the presidential debate” and said that the “consensus was clear after the dust settled, Mike Pence was the clear winner of the debate.”

It said that Pence’s winning minutes were when he talked about the economy and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's “scandals.”

The post also touted Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as “the other clear winner.”

“His running mate perfectly shared Trump’s vision to make America great again and that message is resonating with Americans all across the country,” the post said..

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