CLEVELAND — On June 27, an estimated 51.3 million people tuned in to watch the debate between former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden.
In the weeks since, voters have watched an assassination attempt on Trump and an unprecedented switch-up of the Democratic nominee.
Tuesday night, voters will get a first look at Vice President Kamala Harris on the debate stage as a presidential candidate when she matches up against Trump.
Nielsen Media tracks the television viewership of presidential debates. Their numbers show less people tuned into the June Trump and Biden debate compared to viewership in 2012, 2016, and 2020.
3News spoke with students studying at Cleveland State University. Many said they are actively following the presidential race and will watch some of the debate.
However, some say they will watch debate highlights on social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok.
Jonathan Entin, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, says that could change the way candidates form their debate strategies.
“If people are going to be looking at eight or 10 or 15 seconds, the candidates are going to be, at least subconsciously, trying to come up with a good one liner that will make it into the highlights,” said Entin.
Entin emphasizes the risk that poses for voters in fully understanding the context behind candidates’ statements or how the debate played out overall. In the end though, Entin says most voters are already set in who they will vote for.
“It’s not so much that they’re trying to make up their mind, ‘am I going to vote for Trump or am I going to vote for Harris?’ It’s ‘am I going to show up at all?'” said Entin.
Many students told 3News they are registered to vote and plan to cast their ballots in the general election. Students say the issues they are most concerned about range from student loan forgiveness to reproductive rights and international relations.