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Candidates Aren’t Sharing the Stage Like They Used To

September 25, 2026 · 6:19 am ET · Leave a Comment

“Debates in political campaigns used to be a given. Today, candidates increasingly view them as optional — or a political liability to be avoided,” Axios reports.

“In a midterm cycle dominated by unprecedented spending on contrast ads, the candidates themselves are remarkably reluctant to challenge each other face-to-face.”

”It’s a sign of how campaigns have evolved, and an erosion of norms: Candidates — fueled by their parties and super PACs — still try to tear apart the opposition, they just do it from a distance.”

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Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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