Pence, Harris Dodge Debate Questions, but Housefly Steals the Show

Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris seemed to avoid answering nearly every question during their debate, but one of 'em couldn't dodge a fly ... for an uncomfortably long time.

Much of the buzz about the debate is focused on what looks like a common housefly that set up shop on the head of President Trump's Veep. While Harris and Pence danced around direct responses to moderator Susan Page's questions about COVID, the Supreme Court and the election ... the fly would not be deterred.

It landed on Pence's head during one of his remarks about systemic racism and police reform ... and remained there quietly, not moving an inch, even after he stopped talking. Talk about patience -- the fly even hung out during much of Harris' rebuttal, before taking off. Total photobomb time? 2 minutes!!!

As you'd imagine ... the little bugger is trending on social media -- and even Joe Biden couldn't help but fire off a Twitter jab.

Not exactly what the American people were tuning in for, especially after last week's disastrous debate between Trump and Biden.

No word if the fly is registered to vote. We've got a call in to Jeff Goldblum.

On a more serious note, Pence's left eye also caught the eye of many debate viewers, because it at least looked like a case of conjunctivitis ... aka pink eye.

Pink eye is a possible symptom of COVID-19, but pretty rarely ... according to doctors and scientists. Still, with more than a dozen people around the President already testing positive for the coronavirus ... the bloodshot eye made people wonder.

The White House says Pence's test results have been negative since the outbreak, and that includes one he took Wednesday in Salt Lake City ahead of the debate.