Midterm Candidates Surge Past Debates, Denying Voters Head-to-Head Shows

As the high-stakes midterm elections draw near, an increasing number of candidates are bypassing public debates, a pattern that ABC News analysis shows has intensified over recent election cycles. This trend means many voters will miss the opportunity to see their top contenders go head-to-head, particularly in pivotal governor and Senate races.

In this year’s gubernatorial contests, 36 seats are at stake, yet 21 of them will feature no debate between the major-party candidates. Notably, this includes three races ABC News has identified as toss-ups: Georgia, Nevada, and Ohio. The lack of debates in governor’s races has climbed significantly; in 2018, only two of 36 races lacked a debate, and that figure rose to eight in 2022.

The avoidance of debates is even more stark in Senate races. Of the 35 Senate seats up for election in 2026, 21 have no scheduled debate between major candidates, including competitive races in Ohio and Texas. For comparison, nine of the 34 Senate seats up in 2024 had no debates, and 14 of the 35 seats in 2022 went undebated.

Candidates cite various reasons for declining these events. In Ohio, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton refused to debate Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, stating she did not want to “platform” his “baseless lies,” a reference to false claims in his political ads. Ramaswamy has publicly challenged Acton to debate.

In Alabama, Senator Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor, told a local TV station he saw no point in debating Democrat Doug Jones because “there’s so much difference between us.” Meanwhile, in Texas, Republican Ken Paxton initially agreed to debate State Sen. James Talarico but has since gone unanswered by his team regarding hosting offers. Talarico recently challenged Paxton to a debate on Fox News, but Paxton’s campaign has not responded to requests for comment on his plans.

In Arizona, Governor Katie Hobbs is again declining to debate her opponent, marking the second consecutive cycle she has avoided a debate. In 2022, she opted against debating Kari Lake after Lake refused separate televised interviews. This year, Hobbs’ campaign manager said the decision was based on the view that “face-to-face engagement with Arizonans is more effective than a stage designed for short soundbites and political theater.”

Experts warn that these decisions deprive voters of insight into how candidates perform under pressure. Craig Hennigan, a lecturer in communications at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and director of its award-winning debate team, noted that while voters may not tune in solely to learn policy details, they do incidentally absorb information about candidates’ characters.

“[Candidates are] not certain what their opponent’s going to say, and whatever message they’ve been trying to curate, when they’re put on the spot, they might have a misstep. So there’s risk involved with having to perform in a debate,” Hennigan said. He added that candidates with substantial leads often see little benefit in debating, citing President Donald Trump’s refusal to participate in 2024 primary debates as an example. His advice for those who do choose to debate? “You don’t attempt to win. You just attempt to not lose. You are trying to avoid gaffes.”