The Great Debate: Round Two

Bush and Gore meet face to face in North Carolina.

Now this is a race! In the final weeks of the presidential campaign, Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush are scrambling to win over the 10% of voters who say they still don’t know whom to vote for. Each candidate hopes his performance in debates will do the trick.

Last Wednesday the two men sat down in North Carolina to debate issues ranging from gun control to education. The two agreed on many things, and the tone was respectful. "It seems like we’re having a great love-fest tonight," joked Bush.

That was a big change from the mood of their first debate on October 3, which struck many as nasty. "They were fighting! I don’t think America is going to vote for two babies," said Hila Perry, a fourth-grader interviewed by TFK kid reporter Alexandra Tatarsky.

Gore had called the first debate a "job interview," and in many ways it was. Each candidate wants to show voters watching on TV what a good President he’d be. Polls show that it’s also important for the candidates to appear likable.

As of October 9, Bush and Gore each had 45% of likely voters in a CNN-USA Today–Gallup poll. Will the final debate on October 17 help break the tie? Stay tuned.