How Significant are presidential debates for election campaigns + outcomes
(15):
Presidential debates can be seen as significant towards election campaigns as they are
known to provide a national platform by which an audience can judge how well a
candidate can do under pressure. The way a candidate performs on a presidential
debate can influence millions of people. This can be seen in the viewing numbers in
2008 where 64 million people watched the debate live. Furthermore, even vice
presidential candidates are observed by those viewing at home and in 2008, around 69
million people watched the debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. Moreover, it can
be said that presidential elections have the ability to shape opinions following the
debates and evidence to support this can be seen following the presidential election in
President Reagan’s dominance of Mondale in the debates, which lead to Reagan winning
49 states.
Within presidential debates, there are many factors that can affect how a candidate fairs
within that debate and what the outcome concludes to be by the end of the campaign.
One factor includes whether or not the president is incumbent and how they have
faired over the past 4 years. The record of the incumbent definitely holds significance in
outcomes regardless of whether or not the incumbent is running for re-election. For
example, Obama criticized McCain’s campaign by pointing out George W. Bush’s
incumbent record for the 8 years he was in office beforehand. This clearly had an effect
as Obama managed to win the election campaign as the electorate clearly did not want
another 4 years like they had endured under George W. Bush’s Republican presidency,
inspiring Obama’s ‘change’ campaign. Further evidence to support this claim can be
seen in Reagan’s conclusion of his debate in 1980 when he told the electorate to
consider whether they were better or worse off under Carter’s presidency, which many
felt they were worse off and therefore voted for Reagan. Carter ended up winning only
49 Electoral College Votes.
Presidential debates can be seen as significant as it gives candidates a chance to offer
their ideas and opinions on how to deal with events that are occurring during the time
of the election and prior to this. It can also be noted that wider political context’s can be
used as a topic of discussion during presidential debates but ultimately, the events
themselves are what is going to change the electorate’s beliefs, rather than what the
candidates say regarding those issues. The way a candidate dresses and behaves during
the debate is also important, as many need to be able to observe ‘presidential’
characteristics. For example, in the first televised debate in 1960, Kennedy was polled
as the winner by TV watchers, but by radio listeners, Nixon was polled as the winner.
Nowadays, the debates are massively televised and the way a candidate looks and acts
will have significance on their support and campaign. Obama went into the debate with
a comfortable lead over Romney in 2012 as Romney saw no bounce following the
announcement of his running mate and following the national party convention.
However, following the first presidential debate between himself and Obama, Romney
received a 52 point lead in the Gallup poll when asked who performed better. Following
this debate, his poll numbers started rising at the expense of the president who was
(15):
Presidential debates can be seen as significant towards election campaigns as they are
known to provide a national platform by which an audience can judge how well a
candidate can do under pressure. The way a candidate performs on a presidential
debate can influence millions of people. This can be seen in the viewing numbers in
2008 where 64 million people watched the debate live. Furthermore, even vice
presidential candidates are observed by those viewing at home and in 2008, around 69
million people watched the debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. Moreover, it can
be said that presidential elections have the ability to shape opinions following the
debates and evidence to support this can be seen following the presidential election in
President Reagan’s dominance of Mondale in the debates, which lead to Reagan winning
49 states.
Within presidential debates, there are many factors that can affect how a candidate fairs
within that debate and what the outcome concludes to be by the end of the campaign.
One factor includes whether or not the president is incumbent and how they have
faired over the past 4 years. The record of the incumbent definitely holds significance in
outcomes regardless of whether or not the incumbent is running for re-election. For
example, Obama criticized McCain’s campaign by pointing out George W. Bush’s
incumbent record for the 8 years he was in office beforehand. This clearly had an effect
as Obama managed to win the election campaign as the electorate clearly did not want
another 4 years like they had endured under George W. Bush’s Republican presidency,
inspiring Obama’s ‘change’ campaign. Further evidence to support this claim can be
seen in Reagan’s conclusion of his debate in 1980 when he told the electorate to
consider whether they were better or worse off under Carter’s presidency, which many
felt they were worse off and therefore voted for Reagan. Carter ended up winning only
49 Electoral College Votes.
Presidential debates can be seen as significant as it gives candidates a chance to offer
their ideas and opinions on how to deal with events that are occurring during the time
of the election and prior to this. It can also be noted that wider political context’s can be
used as a topic of discussion during presidential debates but ultimately, the events
themselves are what is going to change the electorate’s beliefs, rather than what the
candidates say regarding those issues. The way a candidate dresses and behaves during
the debate is also important, as many need to be able to observe ‘presidential’
characteristics. For example, in the first televised debate in 1960, Kennedy was polled
as the winner by TV watchers, but by radio listeners, Nixon was polled as the winner.
Nowadays, the debates are massively televised and the way a candidate looks and acts
will have significance on their support and campaign. Obama went into the debate with
a comfortable lead over Romney in 2012 as Romney saw no bounce following the
announcement of his running mate and following the national party convention.
However, following the first presidential debate between himself and Obama, Romney
received a 52 point lead in the Gallup poll when asked who performed better. Following
this debate, his poll numbers started rising at the expense of the president who was
