The debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump brought familiar cheers, jeers and the occasional boos to liberal voters in Isabella County.
Voters at the watch party had a variety of answers. Some said it was more of an entertaining tv show, some said there was a genuine opportunity for less involved voters to learn, some saw it as a rallying cry. No voters' opinions seemed to be changed throughout the night.
Timothy Caldwell is a longtime voter, having seen the Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy debate in 1960. He said that experience has allowed him to compare debates over the decades.
“I don't know that it's a great deal of value any more than the other debates have been," Caldwell said. "It's more of an entertainment, finding people messing up in certain things. It's kind of a gotcha sort of moment. I think that lessens the value of it."
Mary, who declined to give her last name, can still find value in debates, especially for viewers not as engaged.
“I think they just let people who haven't been watching very much get a good bird's eye view of each candidate and be able to size them up and see where they stand on the issues,” she said.
For Cathy Willermet, the chair of the Isabella Democrats, she views debates from a perspective different than the average voter.
“I know their positions on a lot of things already," Willermet said. "I wasn't expecting to hear anything new. They are ways for folks who are excited about their candidates to get fired up. It's an opportunity to see ‘how are they performing on the stage?’. I think that can sometimes have value."
Neither Biden nor Trump have officially won their party’s nominations, which will happen formally at the party conventions in August. The defacto nominee titles have been awarded due to both receiving enough delegates during the primary season.
Michigan Republicans declared Trump victorious during similar watch parties across the state. The Isabella County Republican Party did not respond to our request for comment.
The next Presidential debate is scheduled for September 10 hosted by ABC News.
