How political debates became high-risk and low-reward in the viral era

Updated on: October 29, 2026 / 4:33 PM EDT / CBS News

A short interruption in the Maine Senate debate from Oct. 15 is still relevant a week before Election Day. Democratic nominee Troy Jackson told five-term incumbent Sen. Susan Collins to "shut up," after she said a protester was "obviously one of Troy's supporters." Jackson has since been asked to apologize, which he declined to do, and the clip made its way into GOP attack ads.

Maine is among the close races that will determine which party controls the Senate. Jackson's comment, unprompted by a question from the moderator or an answer from Collins, speaks to the high risk of debating. Small moments can cause catastrophes, according to Democratic strategist and CBS News contributor Chuck Rocha.

"You may not win a race during a debate, but you can certainly lose one," Rocha said. "People are super cautious these days."

In this midterm cycle, 18 of 35 Senate races and 12 of the 36 gubernatorial races did not feature a debate between the major party candidates, and in those that did occur, many were defined by mudslinging and character assaults that wound up viral online.

"Debates are defined by big…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/