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Wednesday nights kickoff episode of the Mike and Mala show wasnt just the soon-to-be-forgotten sole vice presidential debate of 2020. No, it was something far more important: the first exhibition game of Campaign 2024.

Whether Donald Trump wins or loses on Nov. 3, Pence is in a stronger position than anybody to be the GOPs next batter up. Hes got name recognition, all the experience you could ask for, and hes battle-tested. He might be the only figure who can unite the Normies and the Trumpies both the boring, staid suburbanites in khakis who vote GOP because they like normal stuff like low taxes, light regulation and cultural conservatism; and the in-your-face guys who ride Harleys with MAGA flags flying and love Trump mainly because he owns the libs and makes fun of Jim Acosta.

As for Kamala Harris, I dont know what the actuarial tables say but when I ask my Magic 8 Ball whether she will become president by 2024, it comes back with Signs point to yes. Even if Hidin Joe Biden somehow makes it to 2024 intact, hell be too tired to run for a second term. Hell, these days hes too tired to make it to lunch: He typically calls a lid on the day at 9 a.m., and presumably spends the morning getting EKGs. So Harris-Pence isnt just the undercard for 2020, its how the 2024 race is shaping up to be.

And both sides are eager to make that happen. Harris, who was such a political superstar back in the forgotten era known as 2019 that when she dropped out of the race in December, 97 percent of Democrats wanted someone other than her to be the party nominee, is today the toast of DonkeyTown. Shes historic! She checks so many of the identity-politics boxes that Dems mistake for qualifications that the party has to pretend shes a talented politician, when anyone who watched the Democratic debates just last year knows shes one of those looks-better-on-paper candidates.

As for Pence, he was such a marvelous debater on Wednesday, when he properly ignored all questions and instead calmly disassembled Harris like a biology student dissecting a frog, that he reminded everyone he used to argue with people for a living, back when he was a talk-radio guy. What might a GOP be like that was led by someone who could thoroughly, rationally articulate all of the partys positions without rage-tweeting or getting his facts jumbled?

Pence is the answer. And unlike Mitt Romney, he doesnt carry the baggage of seeming like the consultant who just recommended your boss fire you. When Harris tried to paint Pence as an extremist on abortion, he turned the issue around completely as he placidly explained that Harris is the real extremist because she supports taxpayer funding for abortion up till the moment of birth. Harris shook her head when Pence said this but she didnt rebut the charge because its true. Its the kind of thing shed be happy to say if she was speaking to the Democrats Hollywood donor class. When Pence pulled a Tulsi Gabbard on her and pointed out how, as San Francisco DA, she had enacted the exact opposite program of the Democratic Partys vision of justice, she didnt rebut him on that either, but retreated to a lame series of irrelevant points shed already made earlier. She wouldnt answer the question of whether she or Biden would pack the Supreme Court, instead mangling an anecdote about how Abe Lincoln supposedly declined to nominate a Supreme Court justice in an election season. (He didnt make the nomination because the Senate was out of session at the time.)

Harris habit of smiling sarcastically and smirking in disbelief as Pence was ripping her to pieces may have excited the yass-queen bloggers, but it played horribly on TV. If Biden gets elected president, itll be because most of the voters think hes a harmless old dude who wont shake things up too much. Should his running mate become president before 2024, her far-left program, combined with her inability to do anything but grin when challenged on it, will make her very unpopular very quickly. Mike Pence proved this week hes got what it takes to make history by being the first candidate to beat an incumbent woman president.

Kyle Smith is critic-at-large for National Review.

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Mike Pence proves he's the great GOP hope for 2024 - New York Post

At that point every American was like, Is that on him or on my TV.? JIMMY FALLON

And, hey, shouldnt he be in quarantine? I heard something like 35 of his co-workers have the virus. Although, Pence is probably safe because hes so boring his co-workers scatter whenever he comes in the room: Run, guys, Pence is coming! SETH MEYERS

And, hey, after all the trouble you went through, nobody will remember a damn thing that was said thanks to a fly landing on Mike Pence. And its a shame, because before that happened, Pence was making some very terrible points. SETH MEYERS

And look, flies land on people all the time. Theres nothing crazy about that. What was crazy is how long it sat there for. Even Trump was watching at home like, Wow, two minutes with Mike Pence. I could never do that. TREVOR NOAH

OK, can I just say that I was not surprised at all to see that fly on Mike Pence. First of all, even a fly knows better than to land on a Black womans hair. TREVOR NOAH

This is what happens when you go 18 years without blinking. JAMES CORDEN

Mike Pence doesnt even look live when hes live. Dude is an in-person Zoom meeting. Whenever he started speaking, I started looking for the gallery view button. SETH MEYERS

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Jimmy Fallon Riffs on Mike Pences Fly and Pink Eye - The New York Times

This presumption that you hear consistently from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, that America is systemically racist, and that, as Joe Biden said, that he believes that law enforcement has an implicit bias against minorities, is a great insult to the men and women who serve in law enforcement. And I want everyone to know who puts on the uniform of law enforcement every day, that President Trump and I stand with you. And it is remarkable that when Senator Tim Scott tried to pass a police reform bill, brought together a group of Republicans and Democrats, Senator Harris, you got up and walked out of the room. And then you filibustered Senator Tim Scotts bill on the Senate floor that would have provided new accountability, new resources. Look, we dont have to choose between supporting law enforcement, improving public safety and supporting our African-American neighbors Thank you, Vice President and all of our minorities. Under President Trumps leadership Thank you, Vice President Pence well always stand with law enforcement and well do what weve done from Day 1 Vice President Pence, thank you, your time is up. is improve the lives of African-Americans.

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A Fly Landed on Mike Pence - The New York Times

The legislation calls for a 16-member bipartisan commission made up of doctors and former administration officials. USA TODAY

WASHINGTON When President Donald Trump was hospitalized last week with COVID-19, the administration sought to assure Americanshe was still fit to carry out his duties as president.

While he appears to be on the way to recovery, the outbreak that has engulfed the White House and infected more than a dozen staffershas sparked questions about whether other officials in the line of succession should be self-quarantining in case thepresidentbecomesincapacitated.

The people inline to take over the president's dutiesifTrump wereto become gravely ill are"not taking seriously their responsibilitiesas best we can tell under succession" regarding their health and safety,said political scientist Norman Ornstein with the American Enterprise Institute think tank.

Take these examples: The vice president is still traveling, and so is the secretary of state. A senior Republican senator in the line of succession wont even get a COVID test, even though he was at a committee hearing with another senator who has tested positive.

Trump and otherRepublicans have come under fire for disregarding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to slow the spread of the coronavirus, including social distancing and mask-wearing.

2020 election updates: Trump planning campaign event at the White House

The White House and the Trump campaign hosted events that drew thousands of people in close proximity, including a Rose Garden event now thought to be a "superspreader" forthe virus. And after Trump's positive test and quarantine, the campaign didn't quit in-person events.

And Republican officials in the line of succession have, for the most part, kept up their usual schedules and practices.

On Oct. 4, with Trump still hospitalized for COVID-19, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo left for a trip to Asia. Although he trimmed his itinerary, he stillmet with a parade of dignitaries, includingJapan's prime minister.

In an interview Friday morning with the Hugh Hewitt Show, Pompeo said he has never had any concerns about Trump's fitness for duty."None," he said when Hewitt asked if he'd ever had a moment of doubt about whether Trump was fully in charge.

Trump is "not the least bit tired," Pompeo said, addinghe has had "long conversations" with Trump to keep him updated on world affairs.

OnSaturdayTrump held a campaign-style rally on the South Lawn, sayinghe'd been clearedby his doctor to resume public events. But the question lingers:If he were to experience a relapse in symptoms and become seriously ill, who would take charge?

"In a responsible administration, you would at least have in reservealetter signed by the president turning authority temporarily over to the vice president, so that there's a clear chain of command in case you become incapacitated before you can do that," Ornstein said.

Underthe 25th Amendment, the president could notify House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the Senate GOP's senior member,Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, that he is unable to function, transferring power to Vice President Mike Penceuntil the president indicates he is able to return.

The amendment both setup the process for the president to voluntarily relinquish dutiesand created a method which has never been used for powers to be taken away whenothers believe the presidentis unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office."

If Trump believes he can still do his job but Pence and a majority of the Cabinet disagree, a transfer of power to Pence would require the backing of two-thirds of both the House andSenate. Lawmakers could also designate through legislation an alternative group other than the Cabinet that the vice president could work with to declare Trump unable to serve.

In an extreme circumstance, if the president were to die from the virus, Pence is first in line to succeed him, as established by the Presidential Succession Act of 1947. Pelosi is second, followed by thepresident pro tempore of the Senate, a titleheld by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

25th Amendment: Democrats pitch bill on presidential succession commission, citing Trump's COVID diagnosis

On Friday,Pelosi and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., introduced legislationthey said wouldcreate a commission on the presidential capacity to discharge his or her powers and give Congress a role in ensuring "effective and uninterrupted leadership" in the nation's highest office.

Pelosi said the move was not about Trump, but rather the need for clear procedure, while Raskin noted that COVID-19 has affected several government officials.In addition to Trump andFirst Lady Melania Trump, an array of White House advisers andRepublican senators have also contracted the virus.

There is no mechanism, however, that establishes a procedure should both Trump and Pence become incapacitated and unable to servebut do not die, Ornstein said. The chance of that happening is not very high, but the pandemic has resurfaced concerns over gaps in the continuity of the U.S. government in the midst of the health crisis.

"There are nightmare scenarios that we're talking about here, all of which, let's say have been triggered by the utter irresponsibility of the president, holding these events, without masks, without any precautions, which has created the super spreader problem," Ornstein said.

Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne, second from left, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, third from left, attend the four Indo-Pacific nations' foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020.(Photo: Charly Triballeau, AP)

Those in the president's orbit have been regularly tested throughout the pandemic, but the recent White House outbreak showed that even repeated negative tests don't mean a person was not exposed and won't test negative later.

Following are the list of people in the line of succession and details about how they are dealing with the risks of COVID-19:

Vice President Mike Pence speaks on stage during the Vice Presidential debate between Republican nominee Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic nominee Sen. Kamala Harris held at Kingsbury Hall at The University of Utah.(Photo: Jack Gruber, Jack Gruber-USA TODAY)

Pence, 61, says he has tested negative for COVID-19. He continued to travel and hold campaign events after Trump tested positiveand said he had not been considered in close contactwith the president to be at risk of being exposed. He participated in the vice presidential debate with Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.,on Wednesday in Salt Lake City.

Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during the Weekly News Conference on Capitol Hill on October 08, 2020 in Washington, DC. Pelosi spoke on the uncertainty around negotiations of another emergency COVID-19 relief package.(Photo: Tasos Katopodis, Getty Images)

Pelosi, 80, has said she is confident in the protocols established for the House. She has also maintained she wears a face mask when she is around othersand that she has tested negative for the virus since Trump's diagnosis.

Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), talks to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) (L) before a hearing on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.(Photo: Pool, Getty Images)

Grassley, 87, "has been tested multiple times when the situation warrants and upon the recommendation of his doctors," his spokesperson, Michael Zona, said. Grassley was criticized for sayinghe would not seek a test after attending a meeting with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who later tested positive for the virus.

"Sen. Grassley continues to take precautions to defend against contracting the virus," Zona added. "Regarding recent COVID-19 cases in the Senate, Sen. Grassleys doctors have not recommended he be tested as he has not come into close contact with anyone suspected of having or confirmed to have coronavirus."

Pompeo, 56, is fourthin the line of succession if Trump should be unable to carry out his presidential duties. Although he truncated his trip to Asia, he has not cancelled other events. The State Department's press office did not answer questions about whether Pompeo has cancelled other in-person meetings or taken additional precautions to keep himself extra safe given Trump's diagnosis.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, walks from the office of Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell of Ky., as he leaves the Capitol, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, in Washington. Mnuchin earlier met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) ORG XMIT: DCMC114(Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP)

Mnuchin, 57, fifth in the line of succession after Pompeo, has been tested daily for COVID-19 for months, according to his spokesperson Monica Crowley.

"He has consistently tested negative for COVID-19 and will continue to be tested daily," she said.

United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, a West Point graduate, greets cadets before a game between Army and The Citadel at Michie Stadium.(Photo: Danny Wild, Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports)

Esper, 56, who is sixth in line, has not released any COVID testing results. He continues to make public appearances, with a visit to West Point on Friday.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, left, Attorney General William Barr and former presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway attend a Rose Garden event Sept. 26 where President Donald Trump introduced Judge Amy Coney Barrett, 48, as his nominee to the Supreme Court.(Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images)

Barr, 70, is seventh in line, and was in attendance without a mask at the Rose Garden event celebrating Trump's Supreme Court pick the weekend before Trump's positive test. His spokesperson said he would quarantine as a precaution for several days on Sunday after receiving multiple negative tests, AP reported. On Tuesday, DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec said he again tested negative.

This Wednesday, May 6, 2020 image from a tweet by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, the Interior Secretary talks with Cassius Cash, the park superintendent, as he visits National Parks Service employees at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.(Photo: AP)

Bernhardt, 51, eighth in line, "follows CDC guidance, has been tested numerous times and has not tested positive for COVID-19," his spokesperson Conner Swanson said.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue places a box of food in a family's car during the One More Child Farmers to Families Food Box event on the campus of Florida Baptist Children's Homes in Lakeland, Florida June 8, 2020.

Perdue, 63, ninth in line and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, "recently tested negative this week," the Department of Agriculturesaid on Tuesday.

"I havent been around [Trump]in more than a week so I dont feel its necessary to get a test. I feel comfortable where I am, Im very aware of my body and symptoms. I feel good, I have a lot of energy and were out here across the country advocating for American agriculture," Perdue said last week after Trump's diagnosis.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross arrives at the Manufacturer & Business Association in Erie on Wednesday.(Photo: JACK HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS)

Ross, 82, who is 10th in line, told Bloomberg TV he had tested negative on Monday and that his department was doing a lot of remote work during the pandemic.

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Mike Pence, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Grassley are in the line of succession. What if they get sick with COVID-19? - USA TODAY

Before certain events of last Friday, this year's first and only vice presidential debate might have been politely described as the least anticipated event of 2020, notwithstanding the release of a new Bright Eyes album.

There are good reasons for this, which are worth discussing, as a nation now prepares to turn its lonely eyes to Michael Pence.

The vice president is, surprisingly, one would think, given his ostensibly straight-shooting style, among the least understood figures in American politics. This is true not least of all among liberals, many of whom appear to be under the impression that Pence would have a better chance at the top of the GOP ticket than his boss. The argument, if I understand it correctly, is that the Republican product lower taxes, repealing the Affordable Care Act would sell better with different packaging.

This is totally wrong. It is the same absurd logic that led feckless cable news journalists to give Donald Trump the billions of dollars in free air time that ultimately won him his party's nomination in 2016, on the assumption that he was certain to lose the general election. So far from being the least likely candidate to beat Hillary Clinton, Trump is probably the only Republican who could have done it.

Which of the other roughly 224 participants in the 2016 GOP primary could have won Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania? It is difficult now to remember that as recently as 2015, defending the Iraq war was a mainstream position in Republican circles; with the lone exception of Rick Santorum, who had been out of the Senate for a decade, not a single other candidate in that primary was critical of NAFTA or the broader thrust of American trade policy. Trump's insistence upon leaving Social Security and Medicare intact separated him from his opponents, who favored either means testing and increased age thresholds for these programs or their outright elimination. These are not positions that would have won over the small tens of thousands in a handful of Midwestern states but crucial number of reliable Democratic voters who broke for Trump.

Nor was Trump's appeal simply a question of policy. It is his crude antagonistic style that endears him to his supporters, many of whom do not share any of the Republican Party's traditional commitments and stand to benefit little if at all from the enactment of its economic agenda. Like Barack Obama before him, Trump managed to convince millions of Americans that voting for him was some kind of life-affirming existential gesture.

It is just about possible to believe that in 2016, Trump needed Pence, who gave him credibility with congressional Republicans and in the wider world of conservative think tanks and media outlets. If the governor of Indiana, for utterly inexplicable reasons then considered something of a rising star in right-wing politics, was on board with this guy, then Tea Party congressmen could hold their noses. But now? I am surprised the president did not dump Pence unceremoniously in favor of someone like Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina who briefly served as Trump's ambassador to the United Nations. As things stand, the best that can be hoped for from Pence in Wednesday's debate is that his sheer tediousness will convince viewers to turn off their televisions and watch old Trump clips on YouTube.

Pence is an impossible old fossil, a crude survival of Homo republicanthalensis as the species existed during the Bush administration. His vision of conservatism failed decisively in two successive presidential elections. It has as much of a chance of meeting with a revival in the next one as Perry Como has of reaching the top of the Spotify charts.

This is why fantasies of replacing Trump at the top of the Republican ticket with Pence are absurd regardless of any lingering concerns about the former's health. It is also why in 2024 it is impossible to imagine him winning the nomination, much less the White House.

Regardless of what happens at the beginning of November, Pence has no political future, at least outside of his home state, in which it is possible to imagine him lording over undergraduates and hapless administrators as the chancellor of, say, Purdue University.

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The myth of Mike Pence's appeal - The Week