Will the vice presidential debate matter?

U.S. News & World Report quotes Conor Dowling in an article about the upcoming vice presidential debate. Dowling says that “those who watch the debates tend to be politically motivated, meaning they’ve already made up their minds.” He adds that where the debates can matter is when it comes to “perceptions of the vice presidential candidates' ability to take over as president. If anything is at stake, it’s likely whether people come away with an impression that the vice presidential candidates could become president, if necessary,” he said.