Two Different Strategies for Final Debate

Gerald Seib: “It’s not unusual for a debate to take on such meaning. What is unusual is the stark contrast in the strategic choices and motivations facing the two candidates heading into the same event.”

“For Republican Donald Trump, the question is whether the kind of scorched-earth tactics he has employed in the last week—full-bore attacks on his opponent and on the legitimacy of the very system by which presidents are chosen—really translate to his benefit in a debate format.

“For Democrat Hillary Clinton, the question is whether to engage in the fight with Mr. Trump as she did in the last debate, or instead pivot beyond attacks and counterattacks to try to occupy some higher ground in the closing chapter of the campaign.”