The presidential election in 2020 will be one of the most consequential elections in the history of the United States. The debates, whether it be primary or presidential debates, are an important piece and one of the most necessary parts of American democracy because it allows all people to learn the most important part of a candidate: what they stand for. Primary debates are immensely important in finding out the best candidate that represents your values the best and the solutions to problems that you, as a voter, agree that will work in the best interest of the United States and for you.

 The Republicans have three challengers against President Donald Trump for their party’s nominee. The Democrats are in the process of finding theirs as well. There are currently nineteen challengers for the Democratic Party nomination and four for the Republicans.

So far in the primary season, there have been four democratic debates with a fifth one planned on November 20th. Depending on the last debates that were held, ten to twelve candidates had a chance to deliver their ideas and plans for the future of America. Interestingly, there have been zero debates nor any debates scheduled in the near future for the Republican Party. Even with three candidates who are openly running against President Trump for the nomination: former governor of Massachusetts Bill Weld, former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh, and former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford.

The debates allow voters from all political ideologies to hear differing opinions and potential solutions on various hot-button topics, ranging from gun violence to environmental policy. For example in the first debate, Mayor Pete Buttigieg from South Bend, Indiana announced the Douglas Plan, which is “a comprehensive and intentional dismantling of racist structures and systems combined with an equally intentional and affirmative investment of unprecedented  scale in the freedom and self-determination of Black Americans,” according the Buttigieg Campaign. By allowing politicians to introduce new solutions, debates are prime ways for candidates to share their message.

The debates offer the chance for the average American to experience new solutions to age old problems throughout the country from new faces in the Democratic Party. Topics like the environment and college-debt are widely discussed by every candidate. From career politicians, such as Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, to newcomers Pete Buttigieg and Andrew Yang, Americans are exposed to new ideas that the candidates stand for in which they may have differing opinions or wholeheartedly support. The beauty of the debate is that it gives the American people the ability to choose the best candidate that stands with their ideals. 

People should pay attention to the Democratic debates, and possibly in the future, the Republican debates because they expose people to new ideas and candidates that they could potentially vote for. By introducing new solutions, the voters can pick the candidate that they think will best lead their party and their country into a prosperous future. In order to understand the candidates policies, watching the debates is a must.