By David Byler
September 22, 2016
On Monday night, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will take the stage at Hofstra University for one of the most highly anticipated events of this election -- the first presidential debate. Tens of millions of Americans will watch the spectacle and partisans on both sides expect their candidate to do well. But amid all the hype, it’s worth asking: Do presidential debates actually matter? More specifically, do they cause lasting shifts in public opinion?
The data show that while individual debates can shift the polls, the debate season (which includes all three presidential debates, the vice presidential debate and the media coverage surrounding them) typically doesn’t change the state of the race very much.
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http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2016/09/22/do_presidential_debates_change_the_polls_131855.html
