United States presidential debates facts for kids
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In the United States, when people run for president, they often have special talks called debates. These debates are a chance for the candidates to discuss important topics. They talk about the biggest issues facing the country. Sometimes, these debates can even change how people decide to vote!
Presidential debates are not required by the country's main rulebook, the Constitution. But they have become a very important part of how elections work. These debates are mostly for voters who haven't yet decided who to support. These are people who don't strongly favor one political party or another.
Usually, presidential debates happen later in the election cycle. This is after political parties have chosen their main candidates. Candidates often meet in a big hall, like at a university. There's usually an audience watching. However, for the debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden on June 27, 2024, there was no audience. The way debates are set up can change. Sometimes, journalists ask questions. Other times, people from the audience ask questions.
Debates are shown live on TV, radio, and online. The very first debate in 1960 was watched by over 66 million people. That was a huge number for the time! The 1980 debates had even more viewers, with 80 million tuning in. More recently, the first debate in 2016 between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton broke records. Over 84 million people watched it live on TV. Many more watched it online.
Contents
A Look Back: History of Debates
The first major presidential debate for a general election happened in 1960. But there were earlier debates that helped set the stage.
Early Debates: Lincoln and Douglas
A famous series of seven debates happened in 1858. These were between Abraham Lincoln and Senator Stephen A. Douglas. They were running for a Senate seat in Illinois. These were true face-to-face debates. There was no moderator. Each candidate took turns giving long speeches. Then they would respond to each other. Douglas won that Senate election. But these debates helped Lincoln and Douglas prepare for the 1860 presidential election. They showed what each candidate believed.
First Primary Debates in the 20th Century
In 1940, Wendell Willkie was the first presidential candidate to ask his opponent, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to debate. But Roosevelt said no. The first actual presidential candidate debate happened in 1948. It was a radio debate in Oregon. Republicans Thomas E. Dewey and Harold Stassen debated during their party's primary election.
Democrats started having primary debates too. In 1956, Adlai Stevenson and Estes Kefauver had a televised debate. Then in 1960, John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey debated.
In 1956, a college student named Fred Kahn tried to get the two main candidates, Adlai Stevenson II and President Dwight Eisenhower, to debate. He wrote many letters and contacted newspapers. Even former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt replied to him. She said students would be very interested. Even though no debate happened then, Kahn's efforts helped make the idea of presidential debates more popular. This paved the way for the famous Kennedy-Nixon debates four years later.
The First TV Debates: Kennedy vs. Nixon (1960)
The first general election presidential debate was on September 26, 1960. It was between Senator John F. Kennedy (Democrat) and Vice President Richard Nixon (Republican). It took place in Chicago and was shown on TV. Many people thought Nixon would do better. He knew a lot about foreign policy. He was also good at radio debates.
But on TV, things were different. Nixon looked pale and a bit thin. His suit blended into the background. He didn't wear TV makeup, so he had a "five o'clock shadow." Kennedy, on the other hand, looked confident and healthy. Many people believe Kennedy's win in this first debate changed the election. After it, polls showed Kennedy moving ahead of Nixon.
Three more debates followed. Nixon tried to look better in these later debates. He wore makeup and seemed stronger. He even won the second and third debates. The fourth debate was a tie. But fewer people watched these later debates. In the end, Nixon lost the election.
Debates Return: Ford vs. Carter (1976)
After the Kennedy-Nixon debates, there was a 16-year break. Presidential candidates didn't debate each other face-to-face in general elections. However, there were debates within parties during the 1968 and 1972 Democratic primaries.
The debates returned for the 1976 election. President Gerald Ford agreed to three debates with his challenger, Jimmy Carter. These debates were held in front of live audiences and shown on TV. The League of Women Voters, a non-political group, helped organize them. This was different from 1960, when TV networks ran the debates.
In the 1976 debates, Ford made a mistake during a foreign policy discussion. He said, "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe." Many people thought this was a big error. This slowed down Ford's progress in the polls. Carter then won the election by a very small margin.
More Memorable Debates: 1980 and 1984
The League of Women Voters also sponsored debates in 1980 and 1984.
In 1980, debates were very important again. President Carter was leading in the polls. There were plans for three debates between Carter, Ronald Reagan, and independent candidate John B. Anderson. Carter refused to debate if Anderson was there. Reagan refused to debate without Anderson. So, the first debate was only between Reagan and Anderson. The second debate was canceled. Eventually, Carter agreed to a single debate with just Reagan.
Reagan had a lot of experience acting. He looked much better on camera than Carter. Voters thought Reagan won the debate by a lot. His performance likely helped him win the election by a landslide.
In 1984, former Vice President Walter Mondale won the first debate against President Reagan. This helped Mondale's campaign get more money. But in the second debate, Reagan made a famous joke. He said, "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." This joke stopped Mondale's progress.
Since 1976, every presidential election has had debates. Debates for the Vice President have also been held regularly since 1984. These vice presidential debates usually don't have a big impact on the election. One famous moment was in 1988. Republican Dan Quayle was criticized for not having enough experience. He said he had as much experience as John F. Kennedy did when he ran for president. Democrat Lloyd Bentsen famously replied, "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
Debates in the 1990s and Beyond
In 1992, a new thing happened. The debate included not just the two main party candidates, President George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, but also a third-party candidate, Ross Perot. President Bush was criticized for not wanting to join the debates at first. He was also seen looking at his watch during one debate. His team first said he was checking if others were following time limits. But later, it was revealed he was just checking how much time was left in the debate.
Many famous journalists have moderated these national debates. These include Bernard Shaw, Bill Moyers, Jim Lehrer, and Barbara Walters.
Some universities have hosted many debates. Washington University in St. Louis has hosted presidential debates more than any other place. Hofstra University has also hosted debates in three election cycles in a row. Major news channels like ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, NBC, and PBS often broadcast and moderate these events.
How Debates Work: Rules and Format
Debates can have different setups. Sometimes candidates stand behind podiums. Other times, they sit at a table with the moderator. The moderator or an audience member might ask questions. Usually, there are no opening statements, but candidates do give closing statements.
A coin toss decides who answers the first question. It also decides who gives their closing remarks first. Candidates take turns answering questions. When a question is asked, a candidate usually has two minutes to answer. Then, the other candidate gets about one minute to respond. The moderator can also allow a bit more time if needed.
In recent debates, colored lights are used. They look like traffic lights. Green means 30 seconds left, yellow means 15 seconds, and red means only 5 seconds are left. Sometimes a buzzer or a flag is used to signal time is up.
Who Organizes the Debates?
For a while, the League of Women Voters (LWV) organized the debates. They are a non-political group. They did this in 1976, 1980, and 1984. But in 1987, the LWV stopped sponsoring the debates. They said the political campaigns were trying to control too much.
The LWV said the campaigns made many demands. They wanted to control who asked questions and who was in the audience. The LWV felt this would make the debates less honest. They said they would not be part of "hoodwinking the American public."
After that, the two main political parties took over. They created the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). This group has been in charge of the debates ever since. It is led by former leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties.
Some people criticize the CPD. They say it makes it hard for candidates from smaller parties to join the debates. To be invited, a candidate usually needs to get at least 15 percent in certain opinion polls. Some groups want an independent, non-political body to control the debates again.
Images for kids
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President Jimmy Carter (left) and former Governor Ronald Reagan (right) at the presidential debate October 28, 1980.
