Both Campaigns Shift Focus to the Moderator

Rick Klein: “The public’s expectations are clear: 47 percent of Americans expect Hillary Clinton to win Monday’s first presidential debate, compared to only 33 percent for Donald Trump. As for the campaigns’ expectations, they’re focused on the moderator. Critical to both sides is the role of Lester Holt. Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said on ‘This Week’ that it’s ‘unfair’ to expect Clinton to fact-check Trump… Mook’s counterpart on the Trump campaign, Kellyanne Conway, is working the refs from the opposite direction. ‘I really don’t appreciate campaigns thinking it’s the job of the media to go and be the virtual fact-checkers, and that debate moderators should somehow do their bidding,’ Conway said.”

“The focus on the man in the middle on Monday speaks to how nervous both sides are about the single biggest event of the campaign. But come Tuesday, fact-checks or not, it’s going to be the takeaways from Clinton and Trump – the pieces Mook and Conway both know they can only control so much – that’s likely to last.”

For members: Why Debate Expectations Matter