Editorial: Gubernatorial debate comes late, but event still important

We were pleased to see this week that Democrat Jennifer McCormick, Republican Mike Braun and Libertarian Donald Rainwater have agreed to a televised gubernatorial debate this fall that will give Hoosiers the opportunity to see the candidates discuss key issues.

The Indiana Debate Commission will host the event, which will be broadcast live 7-8 p.m. Oct. 24 from the WFYI public television station in Indianapolis.

That’s late in the process—weeks after early voting begins for the Nov. 5 election—which is somewhat unfortunate. But we understand that for both the commission and the candidates, choosing a date is tough. Too early and no one is paying attention; too late and voters have already made up their minds.

It’s easy to think debates don’t matter much. In recent years, they just haven’t. Polls and research have found debates don’t typically move voters to change their minds about how they plan to vote. Like most aspects of campaigning, debates often just reinforce what viewers already think. And in Indiana, a relatively conservative state where the Republican candidate starts with a big advantage, debates might be considered even less important.

But what’s happened over the last few weeks in the presidential race is a reminder that debates—and all events in which candidates participate—can be important. President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance last month led his fellow Democrats to pressure him to drop out of the race. Although concerns about Biden’s age and frailty had been obvious in polls and had been the subject of much commentary and conversation, it wasn’t until his condition was on full display before a national, televised audience that it led to action.

That’s certainly the most extreme example of a debate’s impact. But it’s not the only one. Here’s one from Indiana: A dozen years ago, Republican Richard Mourdock—who had months earlier defeated longtime Sen. Richard Lugar in the GOP primary—was debating Democrat Joe Donnelly in advance of the 2012 November election.

The moderator asked Mourdock late in the debate whether abortion should be allowed in cases of rape or incest. “I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that’s something God intended to happen,” he said. Mourdock later said he did not believe God intended for women to be raped, but that God chooses when life is created. Two weeks later, Donnelly became the first Democrat in more than a decade to win a statewide race.

We look forward to learning more about Braun, McCormick and Rainwater in the coming weeks—particularly about where they stand on issues important to Hoosiers.

Do you have a question you want to ask? The Indiana Debate Commission said it plans to solicit questions from the public in advance. Go to IndianaDebateCommission.com to learn more.

We’d like to hear your questions, too. Email them to ibjedit@ibj.com with QUESTIONS in the subject line, and we’ll pose some of them to the candidates, as well.•

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