1976 United States presidential debates

In 1976 only the two candidates from the major political parties, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, were invited. As a result, only Bob Dole and Walter Mondale met the criteria for the vice presidential debate. ==Debate schedule==

Three presidential debates were scheduled by the League of Women Voters: • September 23 at the Walnut Street Theater, with questions from moderator Edwin Newman of NBC; • October 6 at the Palace of Fine Arts, with questions from moderator Pauline Frederick of NPR; • October 22 at the College of William & Mary, with questions from moderator Barbara Walters of ABC; One vice-presidential debate was held: • October 15 at the Alley Theatre, moderated by James Hoge of Chicago Sun Times. ==September 23: First presidential debate (Walnut Street Theater)==

{{Infobox debate The first presidential debate between President Gerald Ford and former Governor Jimmy Carter took place on Thursday, September 23, 1976, in the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The debate was moderated by Edwin Newman of NBC, with a panel consisting of Elizabeth Drew, Frank Reynolds and James Gannon posed the questions to each candidate. This was the first presidential debate in 16 years, and the first such debate to be televised in color. Eighty-one minutes into the broadcast of the 90 minute debate, the sound was lost and the debate was paused for 27 minutes before the problem was fixed and the debate could resume. Video • from PBS NewsHour via YouTube. Transcript • [http://www.debates.org/index.php?page=september-23-1976-debate-transcript from the Commission on Presidential Debates website. Viewership An estimated 69.7 million viewers tuned into the debates. ==October 6: Second presidential debate (Palace of Fine Arts)==

{{Infobox debate The second presidential debate between President Gerald Ford and former Governor Jimmy Carter took place on Wednesday, October 6, 1976, at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California. The debate was moderated by Pauline Frederick of NPR, who posed the questions for each candidate. The debate is infamous for President Ford's gaffe, "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration." Video • from PBS NewsHour via YouTube. Transcript • [http://www.debates.org/index.php?page=october-6-1976-debate-transcript from the Commission on Presidential Debates website. Viewership An estimated 63.9 million viewers tuned into the debate. ==October 15: Vice presidential debate (Alley Theatre)==

{{Infobox debate The only vice presidential debate between Senator Bob Dole and Senator Walter Mondale took place on Friday, October 15, 1976, in the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas. It was the first vice presidential debate in American history. James Hoge of Chicago Sun-Times posed the questions for each candidate. Video • from PBS NewsHour via YouTube. Transcript • [http://janda.org/politxts/Presidential%20debates/debates.76/vp-76.html Viewership An estimated 43.2 million viewers tuned into the debate. ==October 22: Third presidential debate (College of William & Mary)==

{{Infobox debate The third and final presidential debate between President Gerald Ford and former Governor Jimmy Carter took place on Friday, October 22, 1976, in the Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The debate was moderated by Barbara Walters of ABC, who posed the questions for each candidate. Transcript • from the Commission on Presidential Debates website. Viewership An estimated 62.7 million viewers tuned into the debates. == See also ==