Debates: The ultimate game-changer for candidates.
The High Stakes of Primary Debates: Three Moments That Shaped Campaigns
The first Republican presidential debate is just a few weeks away, and it’s a pivotal moment that can make or break a campaign in the 2024 race. Throughout history, we’ve seen candidates stumble under the intense scrutiny of the primary debate stage. Let’s take a closer look at three instances where a poor performance or a critical moment cost them dearly in the primary contest.
2012 Republican Primary Debates
In the 2012 Republican presidential primaries, then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry faced a series of stumbling blocks. However, it was a debate in November 2011 that sealed his campaign’s fate.
During the debate, Perry confidently stated that he would abolish three government agencies if elected president. He named the Department of Commerce and the Department of Education but struggled to remember the third agency.
“And I will tell you, it is three agencies of government when I get there that are gone. Commerce, Education, and the… what’s the third one there? Let’s see,” Perry said.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney playfully suggested the Environmental Protection Agency as the third agency, but Perry admitted it wasn’t correct. Perry’s inability to recall the third agency became a defining moment.
“I can’t. The third one, I can’t. Sorry. Oops,” Perry said.
Perry’s declining poll numbers took a further hit, and he dropped out of the primary race in January 2012. Ironically, he would later be appointed as Secretary of the Department of Energy, the very agency he had wanted to abolish.
2016 Republican Primary Debates
In the 2016 Republican presidential primary, Sen. Marco Rubio faced his own challenges during a crucial debate.
Rubio, who had gained momentum after a strong third-place finish in the Iowa Caucuses, entered the New Hampshire debate with high hopes. However, it was one line that repeatedly tripped him up.
When asked about his readiness to become president, Rubio responded with a biting line about then-President Barack Obama: “Let’s dispel once and for all with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn’t know what he’s doing. He knows exactly what he’s doing.”
Then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie seized the opportunity to attack Rubio’s lack of experience, using Obama as an example. Rubio, in turn, used the same line in his response, leading Christie to call it out.
“There it is. There it is. The memorized 25-second speech. There it is, everybody,” Christie said.
Rubio’s reliance on rehearsed lines became the main takeaway from the debate, and he eventually dropped out of the race in March after disappointing finishes, including a loss in his home state.
2020 Democratic Primary Debates
In the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, then-California Sen. Kamala Harris was a strong contender until a pivotal debate in July 2019.
Harris had gained momentum after a powerful exchange with former Vice President Joe Biden in a previous debate. However, during the July 31 debate, she found herself on the defensive against then-Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
Gabbard called out Harris’s alleged hypocrisy on marijuana policy and criticized her record as California Attorney General.
“She put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations and laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana. She blocked evidence that would have freed an innocent man from death row until the courts forced her to do so. She kept people in prison beyond their sentences to use them as cheap labor for the state of California, and she fought to keep cash bail system in place that impacts poor people in the worst kind of way,” Gabbard said.
While Harris defended her record, Gabbard’s critique left a lasting impact on Democratic voters, and Harris’s poll numbers declined. She eventually dropped out before the Iowa Caucuses but later became Joe Biden’s running mate and was elected Vice President in November 2020.
The first Republican debate is scheduled for August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and will be televised by Fox News Channel. While several Republican candidates have confirmed their attendance, former President Donald Trump’s participation remains uncertain.
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