Presidential debates have produced some of the most memorable moments of modern campaigns. … For all the lore and media buildup, the events haven’t had much impact on election outcomes.
“Where you started the debate season is pretty much where you end the debate season,” said Christopher Wlezien, a political science professor at Temple University and co-author of the book “The Timeline of Presidential Elections.”
No candidate who was leading in the polls six weeks before the election has lost the popular vote since Thomas Dewey in 1948, according to Wlezien and Robert Erikson, a political science professor at Columbia University. [cont.]
Mike Dorning, Bloomberg