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1996 United States presidential debates

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1996 United States presidential debates

← 1992 October 6, 1996
October 16, 1996
2000 →
 
Nominee Bill Clinton Bob Dole
Party Democratic Republican
Home state Arkansas Kansas
1996 United States vice presidential debate
October 9, 1996
 
Nominee Al Gore Jack Kemp
Party Democratic Republican
Home state Tennessee California

The 1996 United States presidential debates were a series of debates held during the 1996 presidential election.

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a bipartisan organization formed in 1987, organized three debates among the major party candidates, sponsored two presidential debates and one vice presidential debate. Only Democratic nominee Bill Clinton and Republican nominee Bob Dole met the criteria for inclusion in the debates, and thus were the only two to appear in the debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The CPD-sponsored vice presidential debate took place between their respective vice presidential running mates, Al Gore and Jack Kemp.

Debate schedule

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1996 United States presidential election debates
 No. Date & time Host Location Moderator Participants
Key:
 P  Participant    N  Non-invitee  
Democratic Republican
President
Bill Clinton
of Arkansas
Senator
Bob Dole
of Kansas
Sunday, October 6, 1996
9:00 – 10:30 p.m. EDT[1]
The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts Hartford, Connecticut Jim Lehrer of PBS P P
Wednesday, October 16, 1996
9:00 – 10:30 p.m. EDT[1]
University of San Diego San Diego, California P P
1996 United States vice presidential debate
 No. Date & time Host Location Moderator Participants
Key:
 P  Participant   N  Non-invitee  
Democratic Republican
Vice President
Al Gore
of Tennessee
Secretary
Jack Kemp
of California
VP  Wednesday, October 9, 1996
9:00 – 10:30 p.m. EDT[1]
Mahaffey Theater St. Petersburg, Florida Jim Lehrer of PBS P P

Participant selection

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In 1996, the following six candidates achieved ballot access in enough states to mathematically win the election via the Electoral College:

Presidential candidate Party Ballot access
Bob Dole Republican 50+DC
Bill Clinton Democratic 50+DC
Ross Perot Reform 50+DC
Harry Browne Libertarian 50+DC
John Hagelin Natural Law 43
Howard Phillips Constitution 41

Unlike in 1992, Ross Perot was excluded from the debates in the 1996 campaign. Paul Kirk, co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates stated that "Our decision was made on the basis that only President Clinton and Senator Dole have a realistic chance, as set forth in our criteria, to be elected the next president of the United States."[2]

Only Dole and Clinton met the CPD selection criteria for any of the presidential debates. As a result, only their running mates Jack Kemp and Al Gore met the criteria for the vice presidential debate.

1996 was originally to have three presidential debates, with the first scheduled for Wednesday, September 25 at Washington University in St. Louis. However, Clinton's campaign objected to the date, noting it was one day after he was set to address the United Nations, and argued that it left him without sufficient time to prepare.[3][4]

October 6: First presidential debate (The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts)

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First presidential debate
Date(s)October 6, 1996 (1996-10-06)
Duration90 minutes
VenueThe Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
LocationHartford, Connecticut
ParticipantsBill Clinton
Bob Dole
Moderator(s)Jim Lehrer of PBS
Full video of the first presidential debate

The first presidential debate between President Bill Clinton and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole took place on Sunday, October 6, 1996, in the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut

The debate was moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS' The NewsHour, who posed the questions for each candidate.

Transcript

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Viewership

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An estimated 46.1 million viewers tuned into the debates.

October 9: Vice presidential debate (Mahaffey Theater)

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Vice presidential debate
Date(s)October 9, 1996 (1996-10-09)
Duration90 minutes
VenueMahaffey Theater
LocationSt. Petersburg, Florida
ParticipantsAl Gore
Jack Kemp
Moderator(s)Jim Lehrer of PBS

The only vice presidential debate between Vice President Al Gore and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Jack Kemp took place on Wednesday, October 9, 1996, in the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The debate was moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS' The NewsHour, who posed the questions for each candidate.

Transcript

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Viewership

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An estimated 26.6 million viewers tuned into the debate.

October 16: Second presidential debate (University of San Diego)

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Second presidential debate
Date(s)October 16, 1996 (1996-10-16)
Duration90 minutes
VenueUniversity of San Diego
LocationSan Diego, California
ParticipantsBill Clinton
Bob Dole
Moderator(s)Jim Lehrer of PBS

The second and final presidential debate between President Bill Clinton and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole took place on Wednesday, October 16, 1996, at the Shiley Theater on the campus of University of San Diego in San Diego, California.

The town hall style debate was moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS' The NewsHour with featuring the questions asked by members of the audience.

Transcript

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Viewership

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An estimated 36.3 million viewers tuned into the debate.

Third-party debates

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  • October 7, 1996 - C-SPAN sponsored a third-party presidential debate moderated by Jennifer Laszlo. In attendance for this debate were Libertarian candidate Harry Browne, Constitution Party candidate Howard Phillips, and Natural Law Party candidate John Hagelin. Ross Perot declined the invitation to attend.
  • October 23, 1996 - C-SPAN sponsored a third-party presidential debate moderated by Bill Shen. In attendance for this debate were Libertarian candidate Harry Browne, Constitution Party candidate Howard Phillips, and Natural Law Party candidate John Hagelin. Ross Perot declined the invitation to attend.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "CPD: 1996 Debates". www.debates.org. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  2. ^ "Debate Commission Excludes Perot". cnn.com. 1996-09-17.
  3. ^ Lewis, Neil A. (September 17, 1996). "Clinton and Dole Plan Debate Format as Perot Ruling Nears". The New York Times. p. A19. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "Sept. 25, 1996 – Presidential Debate (Canceled)". Washington University in St. Louis. September 1, 2016.
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