Frank Fahrenkopf, who leads the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), recently said on “The Daily Show,” “WE AIN’T DEAD yet,” but host Jon Stewart wasn’t convinced. The CPD, which usually organizes presidential debates every four years, won’t be involved this year. Instead, Joe Biden, after suggesting he might skip the debates, challenged Donald Trump to debate on his terms. Trump agreed, and the two candidates will have two debates. This year, news networks, not the CPD, will host the debates, and they’ll happen much earlier, with the first on June 27th.
Since their revival in 1976, presidential debates have changed a lot. Initially run by the League of Women Voters, the debates struggled because the League didn’t have enough resources or power. For example, in 1984, the League had to let presidential campaigns veto about 100 proposed moderators. To gain more control, the Democratic and Republican parties created the CPD, which includes members from both parties. With funding from private sponsors and fees from hosting institutions, usually universities, the CPD has a steady budget. Despite its influence, the CPD didn’t grant all candidate requests, like Al Gore’s 2000 request to set the debate room temperature at 10°C to prevent sweating.
These new discussion plans represent a significant shift in the way presidential debates take place in America. With media outlets hosting and debates scheduled before, this year’s discussions may have new dynamics. Will these changes usher in a new era of presidential debates, or will they mark the end of a long-standing tradition? The future will tell.