Presidential debates are often the only time major party nominees come face to face during the campaign. They can draw anywhere between 30 million and 70 million viewers and, in a year when the stakes have never been higher, they could make or break either candidate.
Following the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney brought together Harvard College Professor Jennifer L. Hochschild and Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman for a debrief on the highs and lows of the first official face-off.
Who came out on top? What questions remain unanswered? What can we expect to see in the follow-up debate?
Professor Jennifer Hochschild
Henry LaBarre Jayne Professor of Government and Professor of African and African American Studies, Harvard University
Jennifer Hochschild was a visitor at the US Studies Centre in 2016. Hochschild is the Henry LaBarre Jayne Professor of Government, Professor of African and African American Studies, and Harvard College Professor at Harvard University. She also holds lectureships in the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Professor Simon Jackman
Professor Simon Jackman was Chief Executive Officer of the United States Studies Centre from April 2016 to May 2022. Between 1996 and 2016, he was a Professor of Political Science and Statistics at Stanford University. Jackman's teaching and research centres on public opinion, election campaigns, political participation, and electoral systems with special emphasis on American and Australian politics.
