Debate Facts, Figures and Milestones

Fall 2000 -- — After weeks of debating over debates, Republican candidate George W. Bush and the Democratic candidate Vice President Al Gore are ready to face off in three presidential debates. Before these two get started, take a look back at the history and evolution of this quadrennial event.

Facts and Figures

The four debates between Vice President Richard Nixon, a Republican, and Democratic Sen. John F. Kennedy in 1960 were the first nationally televised debates and the first general election presidential debates ever (the famed Abraham Lincoln/Stephen A. Douglas debates occurred when both men were candidates for Illinois’ seat in the U.S. Senate).

Except for the 60-minute exchanges between Nixon and Kennedy, presidential debates always have run for 90 minutes.

Historically, debates have drawn huge audiences similar to those for other special broadcasts such as the Academy Awards. This trend has continued even as voter turnout on Election Day has dropped.

The most-watched presidential debate of all time occurred in the third and final exchange among GOP President George Bush, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and Reform Party founder Ross Perot in 1992, when more than 97 million viewers tuned in. The least-watched debate of all time was the second debate between Clinton and his Republican opponent Sen. Bob Dole in 1996, when viewership only reached 36.3 million. Typically, debate viewership is in the 60 million to 80 million range. For vice-presidential debates, viewership is typically between 30 million and 50 million.

Debate viewership has increased from event to event in five out of the seven general election cycles in which debates have taken place. One exception was in 1976, when the first two “dull” exchanges between President Ford, a Republican, and Democrat Jimmy Carter failed to spur voter interest and viewership actually declined for the third debate. The only other exception was in 1996, when voters felt a Clinton win was inevitable and debate viewership fell from 46.1 million viewers in the first debate to 36.3 million for the second between Clinton and Dole.