Debates have become a centerpiece of the presidential nominating contest. In this essay, I explore the role debates played in the Democrats’ 2020 primaries. While debates can help voters make decisions about candidates, several aspects of the way debates are held may have unintentional impacts on the nominating process. The Democrats struggled with an oversized field of candidates, and their solutions to this challenge probably hurt the chances of several worthy candidates. Meanwhile, news outlets’ use of debates as major events that showcase their journalists and elaborate production values often overshadows the candidates on stage. In preparing for 2024’s primary debates, America’s political parties should nevertheless avoid the trap of trying to fix the debates of 2020, and focus instead on creating debate formats that best serve the interests of candidates and rank-and-file party members.

辩论已成为总统提名竞赛的核心。在本文中，我探讨了辩论在民主党2020年初选中的作用。尽管辩论可以帮助选民做出关于候选人的决定，但辩论方式的几个方面可能会对提名过程产生意外影响。民主党人在庞大的候选人领域中挣扎，他们对这一挑战的解决方案可能会损害几位有价值候选人的机会。同时，新闻媒体将辩论作为主要活动来展示其记者并阐述其生产价值，这常常使舞台上的候选人蒙上阴影。在为2024年的主要辩论做准备时，美国各政党应避免陷入试图修正2020年辩论的陷阱，