Local political experts called Thursday night’s presidential debate “disastrous.”
Mark Caleb Smith, director of Cedarville University’s Center for Political Studies, told News Center 7 that President Joe Biden’s debate performance could hurt his reelection chances.
“This was a really disastrous debate, I think it was probably the worst performance by Joe Biden that I’ve ever seen in a presidential debate, and I think Democrats are rightly in a panic because of his performance tonight,” Smith said.
He added that former President Donald Trump performed poorly and often relied on misinformation, but appeared more energetic than Biden.
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“Frankly, I thought Donald Trump didn’t do well in the debate. I thought he often used misinformation and was loose with the facts. But in comparison, he seemed much more energized and much more ready to take on the presidency than Joe Biden,” Smith said.
Smith said Thursday night’s debate marked a major turning point in the campaign.
Both candidates mentioned Ohio at least once during the debate, specifically around the topic of access to medical abortion.
“The Ohio discussion in the debates has been primarily about the abortion referendum that passed, and they’re discussing it as an example of the evolution of abortion policy in our country,” Smith said.
Smith said Democrats’ chances to win the presidential election in Ohio took a “huge hit” Thursday night.
“The Republican Party is in relatively good shape, and so is Ohio. I think Donald Trump is very popular in the state, so I’d be surprised if that changes significantly based on what we’ve seen tonight,” he said.
