John Mashek

The only vice presidential debate between Vice President George H. W. Bush and Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro took place on Thursday, October 11, 1984, at the Pennsylvania Hall Civic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The debate was moderated by Sander Vanocur of ABC News and featured a panel featuring John Mashek of U.S. News & World Report, Jack White of Time magazine, Norma Quarles of NBC News, and Robert Boyd of Knight-Ridder Newspapers. The topics were domestic and foreign affairs. The result was proclaimed mostly even by newspapers, television, other media, and historians. Women voters tended to think Ferraro had won, while men, Bush. Some media, however, either declared Bush or Ferraro the winner. The candidates were both praised for their ability to debate.

The first presidential debate between Vice President George H. W. Bush and Governor Michael Dukakis took place on Sunday September 25, 1988, in the Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University. The debate was moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS with John Mashek of Atlanta Constitution, Peter Jennings of ABC, and Anne Groer of Orlando Sentinel as panelists. Questions divided between foreign and domestic policy. Voters were split as to who won the first presidential debate.

The first presidential debate between President George H. W. Bush, Governor Bill Clinton, and Businessman Ross Perot took place on Sunday, October 11, 1992, at the Field House, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. The debate was moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS with Sander Vanocur, Ann Compton and John Mashek as panelists.