ABSTRACT

This chapter investigates the insights provided by moment-to-moment analysis of likely voter reactions during a presidential debate. Viewers continue to tune in to presidential debates as a forum to see candidates directly engage each other in a battle to win over American voters. The first debate between incumbent Democratic president Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney on October 3, 2012, attracted an estimated 67.2 million viewers (Nielsen, 2012). Eleven networks aired the debate live with viewership increasing 28% over the first presidential debate of the general election in 2008. Even for those likely voters who did not tune in to watch the event live on their preferred channel, they could have been exposed to related political content in the larger information environment through traditional network, cable, or online news coverage, social media, entertainment and late night programming, or discussions with family and friends.