The 2016 Republican debate season continues Tuesday in Milwaukee, with eight candidates in the main debate. Here are a few graphs to put the 2016 debate schedule in context.
Debate Participation
Some pundits have heavily criticized the hosting TV networks for not allowing all of the major GOP candidates to participate in their primetime debates. Tuesday’s Fox Business debate will have eight candidates on the main stage, the fewest yet in a GOP debate this primary cycle. Still, that’s well above the average of six candidates per debate from 1980 to 2016.
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The 2016 primary cycle also limits the number of debates. The 2012 cycle had the most debates, with 20, while 2008 had 19. The 12 debates planned for the 2016 cycle are roughly in line with 2000’s 13 debates, while the three cycles preceding that all had fewer than eight debates.
Host States
Tuesday will be the first time Wisconsin has hosted a GOP primary debate. The state is also hosting its first-ever Democratic primary debate in February.
The Aug. 6 debate was the first time Ohio hosted a GOP debate, and the Oct. 28 debate was the first time Colorado hosted.
By the end of the 2016 cycle, New Hampshire will have hosted the most GOP primary debates, with 20, followed by Iowa and South Carolina with 12 each. Combined, those three states account for more than half of all the debates. Sixteen states plus Washington, D.C. have hosted a GOP debate in the past or plan to host one this primary cycle.
Calendar
Each primary cycle seems to start earlier than the last, although August was a late start relative to the past two GOP cycles. More debates have taken place in October than in November or December, even though those months are closer to the primaries.
Historically, Republicans have held more primary debates in January than in any other month. January 2012 was the most crowded month ever, with six debates. Only one debate will take place in January 2016. February will be the most crowded month of the 2016 cycle, with three GOP debates planned.
The latest a Republican primary debate has ever occurred is on April 23, when Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush debated in 1980, the only time the debate cycle dragged on into April. There have been only three debates in March, and none since 2000, but two debates are planned for March 2016.
Airtime
The Oct. 28 debate was the first time this cycle Donald Trump did not have the most speaking time.
Carly Fiorina spoke the most, getting almost 13 percent of the speaking time. Trump, along with Marco Rubio, got only 11 percent of the speaking time, the least he’s gotten so far. Rand Paul spoke the least at the debate, with under 8 percent of the speaking time.
The average speaking time among the candidates was eight minutes and 20 seconds. Fiorina, John Kasich, Trump and Rubio all spoke for more than their fair share of time, if you believe each candidate should have had equal time.
On the other hand, if you think higher-polling candidates should have gotten more speaking time, Donald Trump didn’t speak enough, nor did Ben Carson.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
