On January 23, the Democratic National Committee said the 2016 national convention will be July 25-28, 2016. This is good news for proponents of improved general election presidential and vice-presidential debates. In 2016, for the first time since 1960, both major party slates will have been chosen by July. This means there is a much longer period for general election presidential and vice-presidential debates than there has been in the recent past. In all the years 1964 through 2012, the major party tickets hadn’t been chosen until August or September, so there wasn’t as much time for general election debates. It is now plausible to expand the number of general election debates, because the general election campaign season will be so much longer. And, if there are more debates, the case for at least one inclusive general election debate is strong.
The Republican convention dates are July 18-21, 2016.
In 1960, the Democratic convention was July 11-14, and the Republican convention was July 25-28. That is the first year general election presidential debates were ever held in the United States. There was no vice-presidential debate in 1960, but there were four presidential debates. Never since 1960 have there been as many as four presidential debates in the general election season.
The earliest general election presidential debate that included any major party nominees was the September 21, 1980 debate, but President Jimmy Carter refused to attend that one, so the debate was between independent John Anderson and Republican Ronald Reagan. Other than that debate, no general election debate with major party nominees has ever been earlier than September 23, but now it is sensible that there should be debates in August and any part of September.
