Senate Debate Yields No Clear Winner

Though parts of the debate were negative in tone, the two candidates did not attack each other as much as in individual television ads, said Brian Smith, a visiting political science professor at East Carolina University.

Smith said that in fact, much of the tension between the two hopefuls centered on their ads.

He cited Bowles' criticism of what the candidate perceived as an attack made against his wife in a Dole ad.

Dole denied that she had ever run attack ads, but the comment led to heated debate on the topic.

But discussion of negative advertising did not detract from important state issues, said Richard Kearney, chairman of the political science department at East Carolina University.

He said pertinent issues were the main focus of the debate, estimating that 90 percent of the banter between the two candidates involved issues such as trade and the economy rather than negative campaigning.

UNC-Chapel Hill political science Professor Pamela Conover said the candidates did not focus their message on issues pertaining to the state as a whole but targeted rural areas of North Carolina.

Smith said the candidates focused primarily on issues specific to the eastern part of the state -- the area audience members were most likely to hail from.

Both candidates focused heavily on a tobacco buyout, which would affect many of the farmers in eastern North Carolina who grow the crop.

The buyout would eliminate a national quota system in which people are allowed to only grow a certain amount of tobacco per year.

The candidates remained respectful of each other despite their political differences, pundits say.

Kearney described the tone of the debate as "guardedly cordial."

But Conover said the debate was testy at times, a tension resulting from increased interaction between the candidates in the second debate.

"I thought they ... engaged each other a bit more than in the first debate," she said.

Smith said the candidates debated more effectively in their second meeting because they were better prepared and more well-versed in the issues.

But picking a clear winner of the debate proved difficult.

Kearney said he thinks Dole started out strong but faltered toward the middle of the debate, leaving Bowles room to pull ahead.

"My impression is that Dole won the first half and Bowles won the second half."

Conover said evaluating the debate's winner depends on partisan perception. She said Democrats will think Bowles won while Republicans assume Dole had the upper hand.

But Smith said that partisanship aside, the candidates were even on their expertise and poise when answering questions dealing with specific issues.

"I think it was a very close debate."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.