Televised presidential campaign debates are an important constituent of the modern presidential campaign.

Televised presidential campaign debates are an important constituent of the modern presidential campaign. Political debates have several important advantages throughout other media. First, they give the electorate an opportunity to compare the major candidates "head-to-head" as they discuss the same topics at the same time. secondary Jamieson (1987) commented on the extent of these discourses: "As messages running an hour or longer debates show a level of contact with candidates clearly unmatched in blot ads and news segments.... the debates tender the most extensive and serious view of the candidates available to the electorate" (p 28) Third, candidates (and their