A novelty 50 years ago, televised presidential debates are now the centerpiece of the general election phase of the campaign and considered a linchpin in winning the presidency. Debates have become the Super Bowl of the race for the White House, with candidates performing not only for the tens of millions of potential voters tuning in, but also for the millions more who may be influenced by secondary coverage days later. Given the closeness of the 2016 race in the latest polls, this year’s debates could be as important to the outcome as the 1960 debates when John F. Kennedy’s mastery of the medium helped him convert a slight deficit in the polls to a squeaker of an election victory over Richard Nixon. CONT.
Lance Tarrance, Gallup