College of Charleston faculty Gibbs Knotts, professor of political science and dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Vince Benigni, professor of strategic communication, have published an article in The Conversation that examines the public need for presidential debates.
Knotts and Benigni outline the history of presidential debates in the United States and the role they have played in the election process.
“While presidential elections are rarely decided on the debate stage, there is strong evidence that viewers draw on the information they learn in debates to make voting decisions,” writes Knotts and Benigni.