The Sept. 10 debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump was watched live by 67 million people and discussed by millions more on social media and around dinner tables and analyzed at length on television, cable news and the internet.
Clips, sound bites and memes, many of which were made even before the debate concluded, have been circulating and will circulate for months to come. Some have already turned into ads supporting or attacking the candidates.
Like endorsements, debates themselves rarely change committed voters’ minds, but they can prove a tipping point for those who are undecided or have not tuned into an election cycle until that time. Both endorsements and debate performances can turn out voters who may be on the fence about voting at all, if they hear something that stimulates or something that irks them.
Campaigns themselves tend to react more strongly to debate results than the general public as they seek to contain fallout, clarify the message of their candidate or explain points that were made — or that failed to be made — during the debate itself.
The repercussions of a good or bad debate performance are generally slow and minor, but in close elections candidates, pundits and political operatives can certainly point to the debates as tipping or turning points guaranteeing a leading candidate’s victory or dashing the hopes of a candidate far down in the polls.
The obvious exception to a debate having major consequences is President Joe Biden’s disastrous performance against Trump in July that solidified opinions that he was too old and intellectually incapable of serving a second term, although he resisted calls to step down until his stance became untenable.
Once elected, officials tend to control their own narratives, setting the time and terms of when they’ll speak to the media or members of the public. They often control when they speak and to whom they speak, even more so when they hold the position of president of the United States or governor of a state and can cite the pressures of the job as a reason they don’t have time for interviews.
If anything, debates provide unscripted moments when journalists or members of the public can pose questions directly to candidates, forcing them to think on their feet and answer questions in real time without preparation, spin or scripted answers tailored by focus groups or hired campaign staffers.
Debate answers offer a look into how a candidate thinks and may foreshadow how they will reason or come to conclusions when a crisis arrives.
It now appears there will be no more presidential debates this cycle, although it would be refreshing to have further debates on specific issues like foreign policy, immigration or domestic economics. We’re fairly late in the cycle and most of the local debates that are possible have already occurred or been scheduled.
The Arizona Media Association has hosted candidate forums or candidate debates for congressional and heavily-contested legislative districts. In Congressional District 2, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep Eli Crane declined to participate, so Democratic candidate Jonathan Nez answered questions in a one-on-one interview.
The failure to appear at a debate should also be noted by voters, although in many cases, it’s of little consequence if the missing candidate is significantly behind or significantly ahead in polls and likely to win or lose regardless of what answers they may give.
The Citizens Water Advocacy Group will be hosting a water-related candidate forum on Oct. 5 for Legislative District 1, which covers all of Yavapai County and the Coconino County portion of Sedona. Republican Mark Finchem and Democrat Mike Fogel, both running for the Arizona House of Representatives, incumbent Republican Rep. Selina Bliss and Democratic challengers Jay Ruby and Marcia Smith will participate. Incumbent Republican Quang Nguyen already announced a scheduling conflict and won’t attend.
The candidates will be briefed beforehand and given the questions in advance, which takes some of the spontaneity out of the event, but given the technical aspects of water issues, with which most of the candidates are partly or wholly unfamiliar, that may seem appropriate.
If you’re uncertain about candidates at this point, we strongly encourage you to watch the debates, even if the issues don’t pique your interest. You should because it can tell you how candidates think and make decisions.
The deadline to register to vote for the Tuesday, Nov. 5, general election is Monday, Oct. 7. Early ballots will be sent out and early voting will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
We strongly encourage nonpartisan and apolitical groups to host debates for candidates at every level of government in future election cycles. Start planning now, so that by the time of the 2026 election, candidates have plenty of advance notice to work your debate into their schedule.
