Polls and Elections: Do the Presidential Primary Debates Matter? Measuring Candidate Speaking Time and Audience Response during the 2012 Primaries

In: Presidential studies quarterly: official publication of the Center for the Study of the Presidency, Band 45, Heft 2, S. 361-381

Abstract

Televised presidential primary debates are highly important for partisans by providing unmediated information concerning candidate viability. Here the presumptive winner of a given primary may be indicated during debates through both the speaking time they are given and the audience response they elicit. Here I explore both candidate speaking time and audience laughter and applause by content, analyzing six 2012 Republican Party primary debates. Debate venue plays a significant role in determining applause and, to a lesser extent, laughter. There is also a negative relationship between candidate speaking time and audience laughter, suggesting an insurgent strategy for second‐tier candidates. © 2014 Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress