With the first of three Hillary Clinton-Donald Trump debates around the corner, the quadrennial question comes begging: Do these showdowns matter? …
Can either candidate move the needle? It will be tough: A review of data since 1960 suggests that past debates have almost never directly and measurably changed the candidates’ relative standings. That’s admittedly a high standard, though, and at least some debates may have had more subtle impacts. CONT.
Gary Langer, ABC News