DEBATE WATCH PARTIES FOR THE SEPT. 10, 2024 ABC NEWS DEBATE

On Tuesday night, hundreds of debate watch parties were held around the country, and a few were even scheduled to be held by Americans overseas. Most of these watch parties are organized by local Democratic or Republican committees or clubs.  On the Republican side, local Young Republicans groups are very active organizing these events.  On the Democratic side, in addition to the party groups, there is quite an ecosystem of progressive groups that also organize watch parties.  The Harris campaign reported hosting over 1,300 watch parties, using them to "grow our volunteer base and boost voter contacts."  Venues for these events include party offices, restaurants, and pubs.  Many of the watch events are free, but in some party organizations may charge a fee.  Sometimes organizers bring in a special guest or guests, have free food, or a game of debate bingo as an attraction.  In addition to partisan debate watch events there are nonpartisan ones, for example hosted by bars or other venues or community groups.  University student associations host debate watches, often with discussion programs before the main event.  It is interesting to consider whether watching the debate surrounded by fellow partisans or in a boisterous bar setting may create different impressions than watching as part of a more neutral audience or even in the quiet of home.  


More Resources:
C-SPAN - Debate Lesson Plan: 2024 Presidential Debate Viewing Guides
LWV: Debate Watching Kit


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Progressives & Grassroots for Harris Debate Watch Party Guide [PDF]

Harris for President
September 10, 2024

TEAM HARRIS-WALZ HOSTS OVER 1,300 DEBATE WATCH PARTIES TO ENERGIZE AND ORGANIZE VOLUNTEERS

EVENTS WILL FEATURE GOVERNOR WALZ, MRS. WALZ, KEY SURROGATES

100 WATCH PARTIES AT COLLEGE CAMPUSES ACROSS THE KEY BATTLEGROUNDS

Ahead of the post-debate New Way Forward battleground tour, when Vice President Kamala Harris, Governor Tim Walz, and key surrogates will barnstorm every media market in every battleground state to lay out their brighter, more hopeful vision for the future, the Harris-Walz campaign will hold more than 1,300 debate watch parties across all 50 states – with more than 100 planned on college campuses alone. Governor Tim Walz will deliver remarks and attend a watch party in Phoenix, Arizona and Mrs. Gwen Walz will attend one in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

The Harris-Walz campaign will leverage the energy from these events to grow our volunteer base and boost voter contacts ahead of November. Attendees at Harris-Walz watch parties will make calls to voters in battleground states and share debate content using the digital organizing tool Reach. 

As part of the blitz, the Harris-Walz campaign will host over 300 coalition-specific debate watch parties nationwide. These include Republicans for Harris-Walz and Veterans for Harris-Walz events in Arizona, North Carolina, and Georgia, and Latino house parties such as ¡Fiesta de Mirada del Debate Latino! in Nevada, as well as events with organized labor like the SEIU watch party in Pennsylvania. 

The debate night mobilization on college campuses builds on the campaign’s historic investment in youth outreach and its ongoing back-to-school organizing push. Over the past two weeks, the campaign has blanketed campus media and Snapchat with advertising, barnstormed campuses in battleground states, held youth organizer summits in Nevada and Pennsylvania, and hosted virtual political meme trainings.

The campaign is also hosting digital creators at watch parties across battleground states to share content with their networks, continuing our work to break through a fractured and low-trust media environment to reach voters where they are in ways that are organic to how they consume news. 

The following is a statement from Harris-Walz 2024 Spokesperson Seth Schuster:

“With less than 60 days until Election Day, Team Harris-Walz is turning energy into action. This debate is yet another moment our campaign is using to engage voters and volunteers for the fight ahead. This will be an incredibly close race. That’s why we are relentlessly mobilizing volunteers across the battlegrounds to activate their friends, families, and neighbors around the clear choice between Vice President Harris’ vision for the future and Donald Trump’s plans to drag us back.”

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