1976 United States presidential debates

Part of the 1976 U.S. presidential election

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1976 United States presidential debates

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| ← 1960 | September 23, 1976
October 6, 1976
October 22, 1976 | 1980 →

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Nominee  | Gerald Ford | Jimmy Carter |
Party  | Republican | Democratic
Home state  | Michigan | Georgia

1976 United States vice presidential debate

|  | October 15, 1976 |

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|   |  |

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Nominee  | Bob Dole | Walter Mondale |
Party  | Republican | Democratic
Home state  | Kansas | Minnesota

The 1976 United States presidential debates were a series of debates held during the 1976 presidential election.

The League of Women Voters organized four debates among the major party candidates, sponsored three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate. Three presidential debates were held between Republican nominee Gerald Ford and Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter. One vice presidential debate was held between their respective vice presidential running mates, Bob Dole and Walter Mondale. In each of the debates, the candidates received questions in turn with three minutes to answer and a 60-second rebuttal.

## Participant selection

[edit]

In 1976 only the two candidates from the major political parties, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, were invited. As a result, only Bob Dole and Walter Mondale met the criteria for the vice presidential debate.

## Debate schedule

[edit]

1976 United States presidential election debates

No. | Date and time | Host | Location | Moderator | Participants
Key:
P  Participant   | Republican | Democratic
President
Gerald Ford
of Michigan | Governor
Jimmy Carter
of Georgia

| Thursday, September 23, 1976
9:30 – 11:00 p.m. EDT[1] | Walnut Street Theater | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Edwin Newman of NBC | P | P

| Wednesday, October 6, 1976
9:30 – 11:00 p.m. EDT[1] | Palace of Fine Arts | San Francisco, California | Pauline Frederick of NPR | P | P

| Friday, October 22, 1976
9:30 – 11:00 p.m. EDT[1] | College of William & Mary | Williamsburg, Virginia | Barbara Walters of ABC | P | P
1976 United States vice presidential debate
No. | Date and time | Host | Location | Moderator | Participants
Key:
P  Participant   | Republican | Democratic
Senator
Bob Dole
of Kansas | Senator
Walter Mondale
of Minnesota

| Friday, October 15, 1976
9:30 – 10:45 p.m. EDT[1] | Alley Theatre | Houston, Texas | James Hoge of Chicago Sun-Times | P | P

Three presidential debates were scheduled by the League of Women Voters:

1. September 23 at the Walnut Street Theater, with questions from moderator Edwin Newman of NBC;
2. October 6 at the Palace of Fine Arts, with questions from moderator Pauline Frederick of NPR;
3. October 22 at the College of William & Mary, with questions from moderator Barbara Walters of ABC;

One vice-presidential debate was held:

* October 15 at the Alley Theatre, moderated by James Hoge of Chicago Sun Times.

## September 23: First presidential debate (Walnut Street Theater)

[edit]

First presidential debate

Date(s)| September 23, 1976 (1976-09-23)
Duration| 90 minutes
Venue| Walnut Street Theater
Location| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Participants| Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
Moderator(s)| Edwin Newman of NBC

The first presidential debate between President Gerald Ford and former Governor Jimmy Carter took place on Thursday, September 23, 1976, in the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The debate was moderated by Edwin Newman of NBC, with a panel consisting of Elizabeth Drew, Frank Reynolds and James Gannon posed the questions to each candidate.

This was the first presidential debate in 16 years. Eighty-one minutes into the broadcast of the 90 minute debate, the sound was lost and the debate was paused for 27 minutes before the problem was fixed and the debate could resume.[2]

### Transcript

[edit]

* [1] from the Commission on Presidential Debates website.

### Viewership

[edit]

An estimated 69.7 million viewers tuned into the debates.

## October 6: Second presidential debate (Palace of Fine Arts)

[edit]

Second presidential debate

Date(s)| October 6, 1976 (1976-10-06)
Duration| 90 minutes
Venue| Palace of Fine Arts
Location| San Francisco, California
Participants| Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
Moderator(s)| Pauline Frederick of NPR

The second presidential debate between President Gerald Ford and former Governor Jimmy Carter took place on Wednesday, October 6, 1976, at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California.

The debate was moderated by Pauline Frederick of NPR, who posed the questions for each candidate. The debate is infamous for President Ford's gaffe, "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration."[3]

### Video

[edit]

* [2] from PBS NewsHour via YouTube.

### Transcript

[edit]

* [3] from the Commission on Presidential Debates website.

### Viewership

[edit]

An estimated 63.9 million viewers tuned into the debate.

## October 15: Vice presidential debate (Alley Theatre)

[edit]

Vice presidential debate

Date(s)| October 15, 1976 (1976-10-15)
Duration| 75 minutes
Venue| Alley Theatre
Location| Houston, Texas
Participants| Bob Dole
Walter Mondale
Moderator(s)| James Hoge of Chicago Sun-Times

The only vice presidential debate between Senator Bob Dole and Senator Walter Mondale took place on Friday, October 15, 1976, in the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas. It was the first vice presidential debate in American history.[4][5]

James Hoge of Chicago Sun-Times posed the questions for each candidate.

### Transcript

[edit]

* [4]

### Viewership

[edit]

An estimated 43.2 million viewers tuned into the debate.

## October 22: Third presidential debate (College of William & Mary)

[edit]

Third presidential debate

Date(s)| October 22, 1976 (1976-10-22)
Duration| 90 minutes
Venue| Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall at the College of William & Mary
Location| Williamsburg, Virginia
Participants| Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
Moderator(s)| Barbara Walters of ABC

The third and final presidential debate between President Gerald Ford and former Governor Jimmy Carter took place on Friday, October 22, 1976, in the Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The debate was moderated by Barbara Walters of ABC, who posed the questions for each candidate.

### Transcript

[edit]

* [5] from the Commission on Presidential Debates website.

### Viewership

[edit]

An estimated 62.7 million viewers tuned into the debates.

## See also

[edit]

* Gerald Ford 1976 presidential campaign
* Jimmy Carter 1976 presidential campaign
* 1976 United States presidential election

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "CPD: 1976 Debates". www.debates.org. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
2. ^ "Sound of Debate is off Air for 27 Minutes". The New York Times. September 24, 1976.
3. ^ Graham, David A. (August 2, 2016). "The Myth of Gerald Ford's Fatal 'Soviet Domination' Gaffe". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
4. ^ Vice Presidential Debate in Houston, Texas | The American Presidency Project
5. ^ "Here's What Happened at the First-Ever VP Debate". October 4, 2016.

* v
* t
* e

United States presidential debates

General election debates|

* 1960
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024
* Biden–Trump

Primary election debates|

| Republican|

* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

|

Democratic|

* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Other parties|

* Libertarian
* 2016
* Green
* 2016

Related debates and forums|

* 1948
* Dewey–Stassen debate
* 2008
* Civil Forum on the Presidency
* CNN/YouTube presidential debates
* Science Debate 2008
* Visible Vote '08: A Presidential Forum
* 2012
* The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium

Organizations|

* Citizens' Debate Commission
* Commission on Presidential Debates
* Free & Equal Elections Foundation
* League of Women Voters

Phrases|

* "There you go again"
* "Where's the beef?"
* "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy"
* "Binders full of women"
* "Nasty woman"
* "They're eating the cats"

* v
* t
* e

(← 1972) 1976 United States presidential election (1980 →)

Democratic Party|

* Convention
* Primaries

Candidates|

* Nominee: Jimmy Carter
* campaign
* VP nominee: Walter Mondale

* Other candidates: Birch Bayh
* Lloyd Bentsen
* Jerry Brown
* Robert Byrd
* Hugh Carey
* Frank Church
* Fred R. Harris
* Hubert Humphrey
* Henry M. Jackson
* Leon Jaworski
* Barbara Jordan
* Eugene McCarthy
* Ellen McCormack
* Walter Mondale
* Jennings Randolph
* Terry Sanford
* Milton Shapp
* campaign
* Sargent Shriver
* Adlai Stevenson III
* Mo Udall
* George Wallace

Republican Party|

* Convention
* Primaries

Candidates|

* Incumbent nominee: Gerald Ford
* campaign
* VP nominee: Bob Dole

* Other candidates: James L. Buckley
* Ronald Reagan
* campaign
* positions
* Harold Stassen

Third-party and independent candidates

American Party|

* Nominee: Thomas J. Anderson

American Independent Party|

* Nominee: Lester Maddox

Communist Party|

* Nominee: Gus Hall
* VP nominee: Jarvis Tyner

Libertarian Party|

* Nominee: Roger MacBride
* VP nominee: David Bergland

People's Party|

* Nominee: Margaret Wright
* VP nominee: Benjamin Spock

Prohibition Party|

* Nominee: Ben Bubar
* VP nominee: Earl Dodge

Socialist Workers Party|

* Nominee: Peter Camejo
* VP nominee: Willie Mae Reid

U.S. Labor Party|

* Nominee: Lyndon LaRouche

* Other 1976 elections: House
* Senate
* Gubernatorial

* v
* t
* e

Gerald Ford

* 38th President of the United States (1974–1977)
* 40th Vice President of the United States (1973–1974)
* U.S. Representative for MI–5 (1949–1973)

Presidency
(timeline)|

* Inauguration
* Timeline
* Foreign policy
* Federal-Aid Highway Amendments of 1974
* Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
* Safe Drinking Water Act
* Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976
* Equal Credit Opportunity Act
* Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
* Home Mortgage Disclosure Act
* Education for All Handicapped Children Act
* Vladivostok Summit Meeting on Arms Control
* Helsinki Accords
* National Security Study Memorandum 200
* Nixon pardon
* Whip inflation now
* Cannabis policy
* Wilson desk
* Assassination attempts
* Sacramento
* San Francisco
* State of the Union Addresses
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* Judicial appointments
* Supreme Court candidates
* controversies
* Betty Ford's August 1975 60 Minutes interview
* Executive Orders
* Presidential Proclamations

Life|

* Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens
* President Gerald R. Ford Jr. Boyhood Home
* Gerald R. Ford Jr. House
* Warren Commission
* Confirmation as Vice President
* AEI World Forum
* Death and state funeral
* Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
* Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

Elections|

* United States House of Representatives elections
* 1948
* 1950
* 1952
* 1954
* 1956
* 1958
* 1960
* 1962
* 1964
* 1966
* 1968
* 1970
* 1972
* 1976 presidential election
* Carter transition
* Republican Party presidential primaries
* 1976
* 1980
* 1976 Republican National Convention
* 1976
* 1980

Cultural
depictions|

* The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
* Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (1978)
* Dynasty (1981)
* The Betty Ford Story (1987)
* Assassins (1990)
* "Two Bad Neighbors" (1996)
* Saturday Night Live parodies
* The X-Presidents (1997)
* Presidential Reunion (2010)
* The Political Machine (2004)
* The Butler (2013)
* The First Lady (2022)

Legacy|

* Gerald R. Ford International Airport
* Gerald R. Ford Award
* Ford School of Public Policy
* Ford House Office Building
* USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)
* Gerald R. Ford Freeway
* U.S. Postage stamps
* Statue

Family|

* Charles Henry King (grandfather)
* Leslie Lynch King Sr. (father)
* Dorothy Gardner Ford (mother)
* Gerald Rudolff Ford (stepfather)
* Thomas Gardner Ford (half-brother)
* Betty Ford (wife)
* Michael Gerald Ford (son)
* John Gardner Ford (son)
* Steven Meigs Ford (son)
* Susan Ford Bales (daughter)
* Liberty (family dog)

* ← Richard Nixon
* Jimmy Carter →

* ← Spiro Agnew
* Nelson Rockefeller →

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Jimmy Carter

* 39th President of the United States (1977–1981)
* 76th Governor of Georgia (1971–1975)
* Georgia State Senator (1963–1967)

Presidency
(timeline)|

* Transition
* Inauguration
* Timeline
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* January 1981
* Political positions
* Judicial appointments
* controversies
* Executive Actions
* Executive Order 11967
* Executive Order 12036
* Executive Order 12086
* Executive Order 12148
* Executive Order 12170
* Executive Order 12172
* Carter bonds
* Rabbit incident
* Catoctin Mountain Park Run
* Carter Doctrine
* Camp David Accords
* Egypt–Israel peace treaty
* Torrijos–Carter Treaties
* Iran hostage crisis
* Operation Eagle Claw
* Canadian Caper
* Engagement with Ruhollah Khomeini
* 1979 oil crisis
* Support for Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War
* Diplomatic relations with China
* Goldwater v. Carter
* Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
* Senior Executive Service
* Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
* International trips
* 1980 Summer Olympics boycott
* Cannabis policy
* Community Reinvestment Act
* Airline Deregulation Act
* Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977
* Clean Water Act of 1977
* Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act
* Federal Reserve Reform Act of 1977
* Electronic Fund Transfer Act
* Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
* Financial Institutions Regulatory and Interest Rate Control Act of 1978
* Right to Financial Privacy Act
* Humphrey–Hawkins Full Employment Act
* Superfund
* Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
* Solar power at the White House
* Three Mile Island accident
* Presidential transition of Ronald Reagan

Speeches|

* Moral Equivalent of War
* Island of Stability
* A Crisis of Confidence
* State of the Union Addresses
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981

Elections|

* Georgia gubernatorial elections
* 1966
* 1970
* Presidential campaigns
* 1976
* 1980
* Democratic Party presidential primaries
* 1976
* 1980
* Democratic National Conventions
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* Presidential debates
* 1976
* 1980
* Presidential elections
* 1976
* 1980

Post-presidency|

* Carter Center
* Presidential Library and Museum
* Habitat for Humanity
* Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project
* The Elders
* Jimmy Carter National Historical Park
* Jimmy Carter House
* Nairobi Agreement, 1999
* One America Appeal
* Continuity of Government Commission
* Death and state funeral

Books|

* Everything to Gain (1987)
* The Hornet's Nest (2003)
* Our Endangered Values (2006)
* Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid (2006)
* reaction and commentary
* Beyond the White House (2007)
* We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land (2009)
* White House Diary (2010)
* A Call to Action (2014)
* A Full Life (2015)

Awards
and honors|

* Nobel Peace Prize
* Presidential Medal of Freedom
* Freedom of the City
* Silver Buffalo Award
* Philadelphia Liberty Medal
* United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights
* Hoover Medal
* Christopher Award
* Carter–Menil Human Rights Prize
* Grammy Award

Legacy|

* Jimmy Carter Peanut Statue (1976)
* USS Jimmy Carter
* Jimmy Carter National Historical Park (1987)
* Georgia State Capitol statue (1994)

Related|

* Plains, Georgia
* Birthplace
* Home
* Mary Prince (nanny)
* UFO incident
* Jimmy Carter (2002 television documentary)
* Man from Plains (2007 documentary)
* Eradication of dracunculiasis
* "Mush from the Wimp"

Family|

* Rosalynn Carter (wife)
* Jack Carter (son)
* Amy Carter (daughter)
* Jason Carter (grandson)
* James Earl Carter Sr. (father)
* Lillian Gordy Carter (mother)
* Gloria Carter Spann (sister)
* Ruth Carter Stapleton (sister)
* Billy Carter (brother)
* Emily Dolvin (aunt)
* Hugh Carter (cousin)

* ← Gerald Ford
* Ronald Reagan →

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Walter Mondale

42nd Vice President of the United States (1977–1981) • U.S. Senator from Minnesota (1964–1976) • Attorney General of Minnesota (1960–1964)

Electoral history|

| U.S. Senate|

* 1966
* 1972

|

Vice presidential|

* 1976 campaign
* selection
* convention
* debate
* election
* transition
* 1980 campaign
* convention
* election
* Reagan transition

Presidential|

* 1984 campaign
* primaries
* running mate selection
* convention
* debates
* election

Family and
personal life|

* Joan Mondale (wife)
* Ted Mondale (son)
* Eleanor Mondale (daughter)

* ← Nelson Rockefeller
* George H. W. Bush →

* Category

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