![Zingers and Gaffes: A Look At the Utility of Presidential Debates - podcast episode cover](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/01/19/gettyimages-1281728657_sq-ecbf13737df702db848f5ded41fe9caaf1785450.jpg?s=3000&c=66&f=jpg)
Episode description
The presidential debate has been a right of passage for both primary and general election candidates for more than thirty years.Now in the midst of another election season, it looks like this well-established tradition might be fading away. But do debates inform voters, and do they change minds?
We take a look at how the modern presidential debate came to be, and what their absence would mean for candidates and voters.
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