Voters used to be able to count on debates to insert some policy discussion fiber into campaigns that were often filled with feel-good TV ads and stunts, the equivalent of campaign junk food.
But debates are slowly fading away, the victim of our polarized politics and the belief of many campaign consultants that turning out their respective party’s base is all that matters.
A Brookings Institute study reports that as recently as 2010, the five most competitive Senate races had SEVENTEEN debates. This year there will be only seven, and the trend to early and mail-in voting will mean several will take place after large numbers of people have already voted. Debates can’t influence someone who’s sent in their ballot.
Last Friday, marked the first and only debate between Herschel Walker and Sen. Raphael Warnock in Georgia. There will also be only one in the Arizona and North Carolina Senate races. In Nevada, there may be no debate at all. The major party nominees in 10 of the most competitive contests for Senate and governor have so far agreed to just one debate.
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Ironically, given how much they claim Republican "extremist" ideas are threatening democracy and must be countered, it’s mostly Democrats dodging debates. Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz will face off in the Pennsylvania Senate race only once on Oct. 25 amid charges that Fetterman, a stroke victim, is hiding from voters.
In Arizona, Democrat candidate for governor Katie Hobbs won’t debate Republican Kari Lake, because she says Lake is "a conspiracy theorist." She also has another excuse:
Weak tea, indeed.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is dodging debates with Republican Lee Zeldin. In a key Virginia House race in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger is refusing to debate Republican challenger Yesli Vega, even though she had already CONFIRMED her participation in the debate.
Candidates in 10 of the most competitive contests for Senate and governor have agreed to just one debate, where voters not long ago could have expected to watch two or three. Those debates have already happened in Senate races in Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia and Wisconsin and in the Texas and Wisconsin governor’s races.
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Only in five contests – the Senate race in Ohio and governor’s races in Georgia, Kansas, Maine and Oregon – have the candidates agreed to multiple meetings.
In at least four other competitive contests, the candidates failed to agree to any debates at all.
Why is it mostly Democrats who are so reluctant to debate this year? I suspect it is because a) they have to defend Biden (and his policies are mostly indefensible) and b) because the economy is sliding into recession, inflation and gas prices are soaring, the border is out of control, and the Democratic Party’s soft-on-crime record isn’t exactly resonating. Given those likely topics it’s perhaps safer to remain silent.
It’s too bad that debates are disappearing. They sometimes force candidates to go off of canned talking points and exhibit their knowledge. They also can reveal the fundamental instincts of candidates. Recall Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s infamous statement in last year’s Virginia governor race: "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach."
Debates have their flaws. But compared to the rest of the messaging that goes on in campaigns they are a Mount Olympus of intellectual content. Let’s shame candidates into having more of them.
