United States presidential debates
A United States presidential debate is held every four years, and is only held close to a United States presidential election . Its topics include controversial topics, economics , inflation , and immigration , most of which are organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) since 1988 ,[ 1] [ 2] with the exception of 2024 , when former president and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and incumbent president and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden criticized and rejected the CPD's schedule and date, and instead debated on CNN and ABC ,[ 3] [ 4] [ 5] after President Biden withdrew from the election, Vice President Kamala Harris replaced him and was nominated by the Democratic Party, debating on ABC .[ 6]
Viewership
1960 debates
The first debate for the 1960 U.S. presidential election attracted more than 66 million viewers out of a total population of 179 million, making it one of the most watched broadcasts in American television history.
1980 debates
The 1980 debates for the 1980 U.S. presidential election drew 80 million viewers out of a national population of 226 million, making it one of the highest-rated presidential televised debates until 2016.
2016 debates
The 2016 presidential debate between then-Republican candidate Donald Trump and Secretary of State and also Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton attracted an audience of more than 84 million out of a then-327 million viewers in the United States, making it the most-watched presidential debate ever, beating the record set in 1980.[ 7]
List
Notes:
Election
Debate
Presidential debates
Sponsor
Location
Moderators
Television Viewership
Source
1960
First debate
Richard Nixon (R)John F. Kennedy (D)
ABC , CBS , and NBC
WBBM-TV studios
Chicago , Illinois
Howard K. Smith of CBS
66.4 million
[ 8]
Second debate
Richard Nixon (R)John F. Kennedy (D)
WRC-TV studios
Washington, D.C.
Frank McGee of NBC
61.9 million
Third debate
Richard Nixon (R)John F. Kennedy (D)
Split-screen telecast with Nixon and panelists in ABC studios in Los Angeles and Kennedy in ABC studios in New York
Bill Shadel of ABC
63.7 million
Fourth debate
Richard Nixon (R)John F. Kennedy (D)
ABC studios
New York City , New York
Quincy Howe of ABC
60.4 million
1976
First debate
Gerald Ford *(R)Jimmy Carter (D)
League of Women Voters
Walnut Street Theater
Philadelphia , Pennsylvania
Edwin Newman of NBC
69.7 million
[ 9]
Second debate
Gerald Ford *(R)Jimmy Carter (D)
Palace of Fine Arts
San Francisco , California
Pauline Frederick of NPR
63.9 million
VP Debate
Bob Dole (R)Walter Mondale (D)
Alley Theatre
Houston , Texas
James Hoge of the Chicago Sun-Times
43.2 million
Third debate
Gerald Ford *(R)Jimmy Carter (D)
Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall at W&M
Williamsburg , Virginia
Barbara Walters of ABC
62.7 million
1980
First debate
Ronald Reagan (R)John B. Anderson (I)
Baltimore Convention Center
Baltimore , Maryland
Bill Moyers of PBS
[ 10]
Second debate
Jimmy Carter * (D)Ronald Reagan (R)
Public Music Hall
Cleveland , Ohio
Howard K. Smith of ABC
80.6 million
1984
First debate
Ronald Reagan * (R)Walter Mondale (D)
Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts
Louisville , Kentucky
Barbara Walters of ABC
65.1 million
[ 11]
VP debate
George H. W. Bush ** (R)Geraldine Ferraro (D)
Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center
Philadelphia , Pennsylvania
Sander Vanocur of ABC
56.7 million
Second debate
Ronald Reagan * (R)Walter Mondale (D)
Music Hall, Municipal Auditorium
Kansas City , Missouri
Edwin Newman
67.3 million
1988
First debate
George H. W. Bush ** (R)Michael Dukakis (D)
Commission on Presidential Debates
Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem , North Carolina
Jim Lehrer of PBS
65.1 million
[ 12]
VP debate
Dan Quayle (R)Lloyd Bentsen (D)
Omaha Civic Auditorium
Omaha , Nebraska
Judy Woodruff of PBS
46.9 million
Second debate
George H. W. Bush ** (R)Michael Dukakis (D)
Pauley Pavilion at UCLA
Los Angeles , California
Bernard Shaw of CNN
67.3 million
1992
First debate
George H. W. Bush * (R)Bill Clinton (D)Ross Perot (I)
Field House at Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis , Missouri
Jim Lehrer of PBS
62.4 million
[ 13]
VP debate
Dan Quayle ** (R)Al Gore (D)James Stockdale (I)
Theater for the Arts at Georgia Tech
Atlanta , Georgia
Hal Bruno of ABC
51.2 million
Second debate
George H. W. Bush * (R)Bill Clinton (D)Ross Perot (I)
Robins Center at University of Richmond
Richmond , Virginia
Carole Simpson of ABC
69.9 million
Third debate
George H. W. Bush * (R)Bill Clinton (D)Ross Perot (I)
Wharton Center for Performing Arts at MSU
East Lansing , Michigan
Jim Lehrer of PBS
66.9 million
1996
First debate
Bill Clinton * (D)Bob Dole (R)
Mortensen Hall at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Hartford , Connecticut
Jim Lehrer of PBS
46.1 million
[ 14]
VP debate
Al Gore ** (D)Jack Kemp (R)
Mahaffey Theater
St. Petersburg , Florida
26.6 million
Second debate
Bill Clinton * (D)Bob Dole (R)
Shiley Theater at University of San Diego
San Diego , California
36.3 million
2000
First debate
Al Gore ** (D)George W. Bush (R)
Clark Athletic Center at University of Massachusetts
Boston , Massachusetts
Jim Lehrer of PBS
46.6 million
[ 15]
VP debate
Joe Lieberman (D)Dick Cheney (R)
Norton Center for the Arts at Centre College
Danville , Kentucky
Bernard Shaw of CNN
28.5 million
Second debate
Al Gore ** (D)George W. Bush (R)
Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem , North Carolina
Jim Lehrer of PBS
37.5 million
Third debate
Al Gore ** (D)George W. Bush (R)
Field House at Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis , Missouri
37.7 million
2004
First debate
George W. Bush * (R)John Kerry (D)
Convocation Center at University of Miami
Coral Gables , Florida
Jim Lehrer of PBS
62.4 million
[ 16]
VP debate
Dick Cheney **(R)John Edwards (D)
Veale Center at Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland , Ohio
Gwen Ifill of PBS
43.5 million
Second debate
George W. Bush * (R)John Kerry (D)
Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis , Missouri
Charles Gibson of ABC
46.7 million
Third debate
George W. Bush * (R)John Kerry (D)
Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium at ASU
Tempe , Arizona
Bob Schieffer of CBS
51.1 million
2008
First debate
John McCain (R)Barack Obama (D)
University of Mississippi
Oxford , Mississippi
Jim Lehrer of PBS
52.4 million
[ 17]
VP debate
Sarah Palin (R)Joe Biden (D)
Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis , Missouri
Gwen Ifill of PBS
69.9 million
Second debate
John McCain (R)Barack Obama (D)
Belmont University
Nashville , Tennessee
Tom Brokaw of NBC
63.2 million
Third debate
John McCain (R)Barack Obama (D)
Hofstra University
Hempstead , New York
Bob Schieffer of CBS
56.5 million
2012
First debate
Barack Obama * (D)Mitt Romney (R)
University of Denver
Denver , Colorado
Jim Lehrer of PBS
67.2 million
[ 18]
VP debate
Joe Biden ** (D)Paul Ryan (R)
Centre College
Danville , Kentucky
Martha Raddatz of ABC
51.4 million
Second debate
Barack Obama * (D)Mitt Romney (R)
Hofstra University
Hempstead , New York
Candy Crowley of CNN
65.6 million
Third debate
Barack Obama * (D)Mitt Romney (R)
Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University
Boca Raton , Florida
Bob Schieffer of CBS
59.2 million
2016
First debate
Hillary Clinton (D)Donald Trump (R)
Hofstra University
Hempstead , New York
Lester Holt of NBC
84 million
[ 19]
VP debate
Tim Kaine (D)Mike Pence (R)
Longwood University
Farmville , Virginia
Elaine Quijano of CBS
36 million
Second debate
Hillary Clinton (D)Donald Trump (R)
Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis , Missouri
Anderson Cooper of CNN
Martha Raddatz of ABC
66.5 million
Third debate
Hillary Clinton (D)Donald Trump (R)
Thomas & Mack Center at University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Paradise , Nevada
Chris Wallace of Fox
71.6 million
2020
First debate
Donald Trump * (R)Joe Biden (D)
Health Education Campus Samson Pavilion
Cleveland , Ohio
Chris Wallace of Fox
73.1 million
[ 20] [ 21]
VP debate
Mike Pence * (R)Kamala Harris (D)
Kingsbury Hall at University of Utah
Salt Lake City , Utah
Susan Page of USA Today
57.9 million
Second debate [ a]
Donald Trump * (R)Joe Biden (D)
Arsht Center
Miami , Florida
Steve Scully of C-SPAN
Debate cancelled [ a]
Third debate
Donald Trump * (R)Joe Biden (D)
Belmont University
Nashville , Tennessee
Kristen Welker of NBC
63 million
2024
First debate
Joe Biden * (D)Donald Trump (R)
CNN , ABC , CBS (for VP debate)
Techwood Turner Campus, Studio D
Atlanta , Georgia
Jake Tapper of CNN
Dana Bash of CNN
51.3 million
Second debate
Kamala Harris **(D)Donald Trump (R)
National Constitution Center
Philadelphia , Pennsylvania
David Muir of ABC
Linsey Davis of ABC
67.1 million
VP debate
Tim Walz (D)JD Vance (R)
CBS Broadcast Center
New York City , New York
Margaret Brennan of CBS
Norah O'Donnell of CBS
43 million
Notes
↑ 1.0 1.1 Three presidential debates were originally scheduled for the 2020 election cycle. The second presidential debate was canceled the day after the vice presidential debate was held due to President Donald Trump testing positive for COVID-19 .[ 22]
References
↑ "U.S. Presidential Debates | U.S. Vote Foundation" . www.usvotefoundation.org . Retrieved 2024-09-22 .
↑ "7 Things You May Not Know About US Presidential Debates" . HISTORY . 2024-05-15. Retrieved 2024-09-22 .
↑ Cruz, Melissa. "Texas State presidential debate, others canceled as Commission steps down" . USA TODAY . Retrieved 2024-09-22 .
↑ "The Commission on Presidential Debates faces an uncertain future after Biden and Trump bypassed it" . AP News . 2024-05-16. Retrieved 2024-09-22 .
↑ "What's the Commission on Presidential Debates? And why is it being left out of the 2024 debates?" . WPTZ Plattsburgh-Burlington . Retrieved September 22, 2024 – via MSN .
↑ Gomez, Tom Tapp,Patrick Hipes,Dessi (2024-09-11). "2024 Presidential Election Debate Schedule: Dates, Times, Who'll Be There & Who Won't" . Deadline . Retrieved 2024-09-22 . {{cite web }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )
↑ Stelter, Brian (2016-09-27). "Debate breaks record as most-watched in U.S. history" . CNNMoney . Retrieved 2024-09-23 .
↑ "1960 Debates" . debates.org . Debates.org. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016 .
↑ "1976 Debates" . debates.org . Debates.org. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016 .
↑ "1980 Debates" . debates.org . Debates.org. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2016 .
↑ "1984 Debates" . debates.org . Debates.org. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016 .
↑ "1988 Debates" . debates.org . Debates.org. Archived from the original on October 16, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016 .
↑ "1992 Debates" . debates.org . Debates.org. Archived from the original on October 17, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016 .
↑ "1996 Debates" . debates.org . Debates.org. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016 .
↑ "2000 Debates" . debates.org . Debates.org. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2016 .
↑ "2004 Debates" . debates.org . Debates.org. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016 .
↑ "2008 Debates" . debates.org . Debates.org. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016 .
↑ "2012 Debates" . debates.org . Debates.org. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016 .
↑ "2016 Debates" . debates.org . Debates.org. Retrieved July 10, 2020 .
↑ "General-election debate schedule revealed for 2020" . POLITICO . Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-14 .
↑ Stelter, Brian (September 30, 2020). "Trump-Biden clash was watched by at least 73 million viewers" . CNN . Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020 .
↑ "Commission cancels second debate between Trump and Biden" . October 9, 2020.