Voters favor debates over ads in voting decision: poll

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Supporters of Republican presidential hopefuls hold placards outside a polling station at Webster School in Manchester, New Hampshire, January 10, 2012. New Hampshire will hold its Republican primary on January 10, 2012. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)

Updated: January 14, 2012 2:18AM

WASHINGTON — Frequent debates are an antidote to the big money that threatens to turn this presidential campaign into a year of living negatively.

Who says? The voters.

In New Hampshire on Tuesday, 84 percent of primary voters told exit pollsters that the frequent Republican debates were important in their final voting decisions. By contrast, only 41 percent said campaign advertising was important, although 71 percent called it a factor.

Barely half — 51 percent — said they had been contacted by the campaign of the candidate they had supported — a challenge to the old saying that Iowans and New Hampshirites won’t vote for someone unless they’ve looked him or her in the eye.

There has been a steady rise in the number of primary debates since Republicans held just seven in 1996, according to an analysis by University of Missouri communications professor Mitchell McKinney, author of several books about presidential debates.

“Debates tend to rank very highly among the voters as a useful source of information in making their decisions or in confirming their voting decisions,” McKinney said. “Voters cite this as a more direct, unfiltered, the real candidate [forum] as opposed to very slickly produced television ads, Internet and radio ads, or robo calls with celebrities and others.”

This year, expect an unprecedented flood of negative advertising, much of it run by so-called Super PACS that may or may not disclose their donors. This arrangement became easier and proliferated after the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision.

While the public condemns it, the fact is many voters are still swayed by negative advertising. After a Super PAC favoring Mitt Romney ran blistering ads against Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker was sent plummeting from first in polls to fourth in the final Iowa caucus results Now a Gingrich-allied PAC is poised for a return volley in South Carolina.

With Super PACs, candidates can deny responsibility for any nastiness put forth in their name. By law, the two entities aren’t supposed to coordinate, although that is easily surmounted. In debates, however, candidates can be asked directly to answer for any messages on their behalf.

“When it has to come out of their own mouths and standing within arm’s reach of their opponents, they are not willing to use [surrogates’ harsher, even erroneous, attacks],” McKinney said. “So I do see debates as an antidote.”

The next nationally televised Republican primary debate — the 16th since last spring involving the top candidates — will be Monday night in South Carolina. Another is scheduled there Thursday, two days before the Jan. 21 primary. Two debates are scheduled in Florida before its Jan. 31 primary. By then, the number will surpass the 17 Republican primary debates in 2008. If this nomination fight drags out, the final tally could exceed the Democrats’ 23 of four years ago.

This year, four general election debates will be squeezed in over 19 days, starting with Denver on Oct. 3; Danville, Ky., Oct. 11; Hempstead, N.Y., Oct. 16; and Boca Raton, Fla., Oct. 22.

Gannett News Service