Do the debates matter? An examination of the progressively influential role of major party debates on American Presidential Elections: 1960-2008

Abstract

This thesis examines the impact of general election debates on American presidential elections from their inception in 1960 to 2008, comprising ten debate seasons (there were debates in each election - every four years - except in 1964, 1968, and 1972). Determining if debates matter explores more than whether they determined the election result, although that notion is discussed as well. Other criteria studied regarding the debates impact include how the debaters, their campaigns, the media, the political pundits, and the voters perceived them, whether the media’s role grew progressively influential as post-debate analysis became more prevalent, how television in particular was the dominant medium throughout the years examined, with the Internet emerging from 1996 forward, and how the debates serve as lenses to observe broader political, social, and cultural aspects of American society.