Candidates in key races are increasingly bypassing traditional debates, a strategic shift that signals a departure from a long-standing political tradition. In dozens of contests for Governor and Senate, the major party nominees are opting out of live, in-person exchanges, even in races deemed highly competitive.
This trend extends to pivotal races. For instance, the Georgia Senate race saw Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff brand his opponent a bigot, while in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed accused his Republican rival of being a "yes-man" for the Trump agenda. In Maine, Troy Jackson denounced Sen. Susan Collins as a "war profiteer." These sharp exchanges, designed for viral moments, contrasted with the broader trend of avoidance.
Strategists attribute this evolution to how voters consume information. The argument is that few voters watch debates in their entirety, and the in-depth reporting by journalists rarely reaches as wide an audience as the carefully clipped soundbites and "gotcha" moments amplified by partisan media. The emphasis is on creating shareable content rather than engaging in extended policy discussions.
The numbers underscore the shift. According to an ABC News analysis, 58% of gubernatorial races and 60% of Senate races are unlikely to feature a debate between the two major party candidates before Election Day. This decline has been tracked for decades; the Brookings Institution noted that the five most competitive Senate races in 2000 featured a combined 17 debates, a number that dropped to single digits by 2018.
The Debate Over Debating
Nowhere has the reluctance to debate been more pronounced than in the Texas Senate race, where Democrat James Talarico has made repeated efforts to engage Republican Ken Paxton on stage, even suggesting a venue on Fox News. Paxton has so far refused. The situation became more public when former President Donald Trump weighed in, mocking Talarico's absence from the campaign trail and then calling on both candidates to debate to demonstrate their fitness for office. Talarico quickly seized on Trump's remarks, urging Paxton to agree to a debate.
Arguments for skipping debates vary. Some campaigns believe their candidates are already guaranteed a win in a favorable political climate and that debating an opponent would lend them undue legitimacy. This sentiment has been echoed by candidates like Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for Governor in Alabama and has refused to debate his opponent, arguing the event would focus on "differences of opinion" rather than governance and would "diminish" his own campaign.
Others reject debates on principle, citing a desire not to "platform" opponents they deem untrustworthy. Amy Acton, a candidate for Governor of Ohio, has stated her refusal to debate her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, whom she called a "chronic liar."
The phenomenon of candidates avoiding debates may foreshadow future presidential campaigns. In past cycles, candidates actively sought spots on the main debate stage, fearing the obscurity of undercard events. However, the current trend suggests that candidates may increasingly opt to sidestep potentially challenging questions in favor of controlled messaging and viral moments, a strategy that could redefine political campaigning in the years to come.