ABC News: “It will be tough: A review of data since 1960 suggests that past debates have almost never directly and measurably changed the candidates’ relative standings. That’s admittedly a high standard, though, and at least some debates may have had more subtle impacts.”
“Debates have been held in 11 presidential races since 1960. We find just one after which the lead in presidential preference changed hands by a significant margin: In 1980, when Ronald Reagan uttered his “are you better off?” line. He gained 7 points in a post-debate poll.”
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