The presidential debates could influence one-fourth of Wisconsin voters and ultimately decide the state’s outcome of the election, according to a survey released Wednesday.
The poll, conducted in conjunction with The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, asked voters in the swing states of Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin whether the upcoming debates could influence their vote.
Of the 1,313 Wisconsinites polled, between 22 and 26 percent of voters said they could be persuaded by the debates. Seven percent also said they are “very likely” and 18 percent said they are “somewhat likely” to be influenced by the debates.
The significance behind the numbers is huge, according to Paul Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
“That number of people could decide the election,” Brown said.
Phil Walzak, Wisconsin communications director for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s Campaign, said the debates will be significant because “people will see the candidates side by side.”
He added the debates would allow Obama to focus on key issues important to potential supporters.
According to Walzak, the significant amount of people who might change their vote is advantageous to Obama because the nation wants change and “that is what Obama will bring.”
The debates seem to be equally important for both candidates, said Kirsten Kukowski, communications director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
“We have candidates on both sides, Obama and Palin, that are relatively unknown across the country, so the debates are very important for them,” Kukowski said.
She also said Republican presidential candidate John McCain will be able to sway these voters because “once you get down to the issues, (McCain and Palin) have great messages, and our message of reform can sway independent voters.”
McCain and Obama supporters alike can be found across the University of Wisconsin campus, but many students have not yet decided who they will vote for.
“The debates could definitely sway my vote, especially because now the economy is the primary issue and neither candidate has come up with a complete solution,” UW junior Riley Adler said.
Other students said they lack knowledge of the issues and believe the debates are an important tool to inform them.
For UW sophomore Adam Schraber, the debates might help him decide whom to vote for.
“The debates tell you how confident each candidate is and what their positions are on issues,” Schraber said. “I think they will help me be more informed.”
There are those who know without a doubt what candidate they’ll cast a vote for, but most agree they aren’t completely informed and the debates will help to fill in the gaps.
With so many people in Wisconsin unsure who to vote for, the debates could quite possibly make or break the candidates.
