Please note!

This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Has a president running for reelection ever declined to debate his challenger?

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

By Allegra Taylor

Copy link

Copy featured image

YES

Since 1960, only two incumbent presidents seeking reelection have declined to debate their challengers: Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and Richard Nixon in 1972.

LBJ was said to have feared the impact of a poor showing in a debate. Nixon ran against John F. Kennedy in 1960 as the incumbent vice president, and his opponent's well-reviewed televised performance (the first head-to-head debate on TV) was followed by his narrow defeat. Nixon won the White House without a debate in 1968, and refused to debate his challenger in 1972.

In 1976 Gerald Ford debated challenger Jimmy Carter, and lost the election. Carter opted out of the first debate in 1980, due to the inclusion of a third-party candidate, but then lost to Reagan. Every incumbent since has debated his opponent; all but George H.W. Bush in 1992 prevailed in their campaigns.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

NPR: That's why incumbents used to say no

CNN: When candidates said ‘no’ to debates

National Archives: the 1960 presidential debate and TV's impact

History.com: 7 things about US presidential debates

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF BY

Latest fact briefs

About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.