Timeline
- Source: Commission on Presidential Debates - Debate history
| Election | Number of presidential debates | Number of vice presidential debates |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Four debates between Vice President Richard Nixon and Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy | None |
| 1964 1968 1972 |
No debates held | |
| 1976 | Three debates between President Gerald Ford and former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter | One debate between Kansas Senator Bob Dole and Minnesota Senator Walter Mondale |
| 1980 | † Three debates between President Jimmy Carter, former California Governor Ronald Reagan and Illinois Congressman John B. Anderson were scheduled; along with a Vice Presidential candidates debate between Vice President Walter Mondale, former CIA Director George H. W. Bush, and former Wisconsin Governor Patrick Joseph Lucey. Carter refused to debate if Anderson was present and Reagan refused to debate without Anderson, resulting in the first debate being between Reagan and Anderson only. The second debate and the Vice Presidential debate were both cancelled. Reagan conceded Carter's demands and the third debate took place with only Carter and Reagan. | |
| 1984 | Two debates between President Ronald Reagan and former Vice President Walter Mondale | One debate between Vice President George H. W. Bush and New York Representative Geraldine Ferraro |
| 1988 | Two debates between Vice President George H. W. Bush and Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis | One debate between Indiana Senator Dan Quayle and Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen |
| 1992 | Three debates among President George H. W. Bush, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton and businessman Ross Perot | One debate among Vice President Dan Quayle, Tennessee Senator Al Gore and former Vice Admiral of the Navy James Stockdale |
| 1996 | Two debates between President Bill Clinton and former Kansas Senator Bob Dole | One debate between Vice President Al Gore and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Jack Kemp |
| 2000 | Three debates between Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush | One debate between Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman and former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney |
| 2004 | Three debates between President George W. Bush and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry | One debate between Vice President Dick Cheney and North Carolina Senator John Edwards |
| 2008 | Three debates between Arizona Senator John McCain and Illinois Senator Barack Obama | One debate between Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Delaware Senator Joe Biden |
| 2012 | Three debates, between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney | One debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Wisconsin U.S. Representative Paul Ryan |
Read more about this topic: United States Presidential Election Debates