Tension's mounting ahead of the high-stakes vice presidential debate between Sarah Palin and her Democratic rival Joseph Biden as new polls show she may drag down the Republican ticket.
Both candidates landed in St Louis after lunchtime – their planes literally parked next to each other at the airport.
Palin flew in after debate camp at the McCain home in Arizona.
Her campaign says she plans to make a sharp contrast between herself and Democrat Joe Biden.
As for Biden, his camp says he won’t go after Palin on experience but will stick to issues.
Republican White House hopeful John McCain has again defended his surprise pick of Palin as running mate, as a Washington Post survey with ABC News found most US voters have huge doubts about her experience and ability to lead.
The Post says the findings of the poll spotlight the fact the first-term governor of Alaska, who has no national political experience, may now be a drag on the Republican ticket ahead of the November 4 election.
It says six in 10 voters see her as lacking the experience to be an effective president, and a third are now less likely to vote for McCain because of her.
Millions of viewers are expected to tune in to watch the 90-minute debate, which starts at 9pm (11am, Friday AEST).
LIVENEWS.com.au will bring you all the video highlights of the hotly anticipated debate from 11:15 AM.