A political science professor at the University of Missouri – Columbia is telling the public there are a few things they need to know if they plan on watching Tuesday night’s presidential debate.
Ben Warner, director of Mizzou’s Political Communication Institute, said the first thing to know is that presidential debates can make a difference.
“Debates are incredibly useful to voters,” Warner told Missourinet. “They learn a lot about the candidates, about where the candidates stand on the issues, but perhaps more importantly, they learn how they feel about the candidates, what kind of people they think the candidates are.”
Warner said presidential debates can also ignite enthusiasm without changing votes and even help candidates improve their standing with the opposition.
“If it could turn down the volume on polarization and make people less acrimonious, it would lower the stakes of the election and make people more comfortable with the outcome if they felt like the other candidate wasn’t so vile,” he said.
Warner also pointed out that debates can make a difference in tight races.
“The way I think about it is the candidates matter a lot in the outcome of the election, and the debates are the best vehicle to deliver what matters about the candidates to the voters,” he said.
The first and so far only debate between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Tuesday in Philadelphia and will be televised by ABC. It will also be streamed on Hulu and Disney+.
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