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
October 22 | 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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Nominee  | Bob Dole | Walter Mondale |
Party  | Republican | Democratic
Home state  | Kansas | Minnesota

The United States presidential election debates were held during the 1976 presidential election. Three debates were held between Republican candidate, incumbent president Gerald Ford and Democratic governor Jimmy Carter, the major candidates. One debate was held with their vice presidential running mates, Bob Dole and Walter Mondale.

The vice presidential debate was held on October 15 at the Alley Theatre. The presidential debates were held on September 23 at the Walnut Street Theater, October 6 at the Palace of Fine Arts and on October 22 at the College of William & Mary, ahead of the November 7 Election Day. All of the debates were sponsored by the League of Women Voters. 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

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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 | P | P

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

| Friday, October 22, 1976
9:30 – 11:00 p.m. EDT[1] | College of William & Mary | Williamsburg, Virginia | Barbara Walters | 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 | 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.

## First presidential debate (Walnut Street Theater)

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First presidential debate

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

The Debate was held in the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Edwin Newman of NBC moderated the debate. A panel consisting of Elizabeth Drew, Frank Reynolds and James Gannon posed questions to the candidates.

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

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An estimated 69.7 million viewers tuned into the debates.

## Second presidential debate (Palace of Fine Arts)

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Second presidential debate

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

The debate was held at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California

Pauline Frederick of NPR 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

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An estimated 63.9 million viewers tuned into the debate.

## Vice presidential debate (Alley Theatre)

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Vice presidential debate

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

The vice presidential debate was held 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.

## Third presidential debate (College of William & Mary)

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Third presidential debate

Date(s)| October 22, 1976 (1976-10-22)
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 Debate was held in Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Barbara Walters of ABC 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.

## 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".

* v
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United States presidential debates

General election debates|

* 1960
* 1976
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* 1996
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* 2016
* 2020
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Primary election debates|

* Republican
* 2008
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* 2004
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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"

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