Electoral Effect of Presidential Election Debates
Burhanudin Muhtadi
September 26, 1960 was a turning point in the history of presidential election campaigns in the United States. For the first time, television stations in the land of Uncle Sam broadcast a debate between presidential election candidates.
Some 70 million television viewers watched John F. Kennedy as the presidential candidate from the Democratic Party square off against Richard Nixon supported by the Republican Party. Millions of voters followed the debate in the radio. Kennedy appeared energetic, fresh and attractive. He also amazed viewers with a charming and articulate communication style. The older Nixon, by contrast, looked somewhat pale. He wore a gray suit, not an ideal color, because it drowned out his appearance against the studio background when watched on a black and white television screen.