By Sharif Hodges
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The 2020 presidential race is in its final stages. Voters have waded through campaign ads, candidates’ literature and lengthy debates on subjects ranging from COVID-19, healthcare, national security, race in America and the economy.
A key question is: Did the political debates help voters make their decisions as they cast their ballots?
“I pay a lot of attention to a candidate’s approach to an answer,” said Anthony Hilson, general manager at Bobby’s Burgers Palace. “They’re always going to be asked uncomfortable questions, or even questions they don’t have answers for, so I really try to pay attention to how they answer questions they don’t have answers for.”
The first general election presidential debate took place Sept. 26, 1960 between U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy, a Democrat, and GOP Vice President Richard Nixon in Chicago at the studios of CBS’s WBBM-TV. Sixty years and three days later, President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden sparred in Cleveland for the White House. Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris debated on Oct. 7 in Salt Lake City, followed by another matchup between Trump and Biden on Oct. 22 in Nashville.
Hilson insisted a president should be an exemplary debater, and said he would not vote for a president who is unable to successfully convey their ideas.
“There’s no mystery as to what will be asked at a debate,” Hilson said. “Healthcare, coronavirus, and the economy are some of the obvious things as of now. If you completely mess up talking about these things, it shows me you didn’t take the debate seriously, so how could you take a running a country seriously.”
Some Marylanders said debates don’t have much of an effect on voters at all.
“In 2020, the polls show that there are not a lot of undecided voters, never mind the fact that 10s of millions of votes have already been cast,” said John McTague, a political science professor at Towson University. “This is because most voters are firmly entrenched in their partisan affiliation.
McTague said a poor debater could still be a great president, and debates are almost never a deciding factor when choosing a candidate.
“Not everyone is blessed with great oratorical skills, though we do expect that in a president to some extent,” said McTague. “I think there are many, many other factors that are more important than debate performance when evaluating a presidential candidate.”
A Pew Research Center study found that 85% of American adults thought that political debates have become more negative and less respectful. Researchers said undecided Americans are potentially watching these debates to see who can at least perform decently and keep their composure.
Other Maryland residents said debates are more important in primary elections than in presidential.
Primaries are many candidates’ first impression, and an inability to make a clear, positive impression can lead to a lack of interest in a candidate,” said TU Political Science professor Sarah Oliver.
Local candidates, those running for mayor, county executive or city council seats, also host debates to draw voters’ attention to their campaigns. In Baltimore, Democrat Brandon Scott is running against Independent candidate Bob Wallace, and Republican, Shannon Wright for the mayor’s office. The three engaged in two debates, although Brandon is considered the front-runner because of his visible position as Baltimore City Council president.
Oliver stressed that debates can help reinforce aspects of a voter’s decision, but ultimately are prone to hurting a candidate’s chances rather than helping them.
“Many changes in polls after debates have been fairly small, but occasionally there is one that has a larger impact,” Oliver said. “In these cases, the effect is most likely linked to a bad rather than good performance by a candidate.”