Debates: do they influence your vote?

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Armstrong Atlantic State University students took part in a campaign forum.

By Liz Flynn - bio | email

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - Did you watch the debate last night? If you did, you were in good company.

Nielsen Media estimates more than 50 million homes tuned in to see John McCain and Barack Obama square off for the second time.

But how much do debates really influence people? That's a question voters at Armstrong Atlantic State University taking part in a campaign forum, considered.

As Barack Obama and John McCain took to the stage in Memphis, Tennessee, Armstrong Atlantic State University's political science students were paying close attention. Sophomore Kory Campbell said it helped him to see both men face off, face to face. He was impressed by Obama.

"When I saw him actually speak to the audience, I actually felt like he was actually speaking to me," Campbell said.

He also felt it was a format McCain handled well.

"It was a setting where McCain actually felt more comfortable in, from the first debate and in this debate right here," he said. "It made him open up a lot more to more people."

James Carver, a junior, expected more talk about the economy, but he said debates like the one on Tuesday night gives voters more insight about the candidates.

"It shows me how their political styles work and what kind of future leaders they're going to be," explained Carver.

Not everyone agrees.

"No, I didn't come away persuaded," said Denise Stagpool, a senior at AASU. "I don't think there was enough detail and I still have concerns that I don't think were addressed."

Dr. Daniel Skidmore-Hess said he thinks debates influence our perception of the candidates. But he said many people have already made up their mind.

"For most people, it's a reinforcement," he said. "They see what they expect to see. The reality is the vast majority of voters are already predisposed to vote one way or the other."

Many are already going to the polls for early voting, but the real test comes election day, less than four weeks away.

More than 52 million viewers watched the first presidential debate. That's significantly less than the nearly 70 million who tuned in to see the vice presidential debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin.

The final presidential debate is next Wednesday night at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York.