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Final Thoughts

Merkley - He seemed somewhat uncomfortable, like he was gathering his courage for a schoolyard fight in which he wasn't the biggest kid. I think he was trying hard to show he belonged on a big stage. He recited his lines fine, but I'm just not sure he won over any undecided voters. His rhetoric was very populist, left-leaning. It will appeal to his base, but I'm not sure independents will be convinced. His statement at the end that "we don't run negative ads, we run issue ads" was just silly. It doesn't impress when the audience is laughing at you. Grade: C+

Smith - He seemed comfortable and ready to go at it. He seemed ready for the questions about negative campaigning, and put Merkley on the defensive with his offer to bilaterally stop the negative ads. He fell into pettiness at times, and seemed a little prickly in his confrontations with Merkley. But all in all, he seemed the more moderate, which will appeal to independents, who are the real target in this debate.
Grade: B+

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