The first televised presidential debate took place in 1960, with a match-off between incumbent vice president Richard Nixon and lesser known senator John F. Kennedy. Nixon looked sweaty and “unpresidential” next to a handsome, composed Kennedy, and voters integrated those visual cues into their evaluations of both candidates. A headline from The Sun that ran after this debate read “Students See Recent Debate; Probe Kennedy-Nixon Images,” and concluded that among Cornell students who had watched the debate, Kennedy was the cited winner. Beyond Nixon and Kennedy, there are plenty of examples in which debates were perceived to alter the trajectory of the race. In a mix of policy and pageantry, two candidates will try to sell themselves to the American people with every asset they have — from tone to body language to facial expressions.

Source: Daily Sun September 25, 2016 21:00 UTC