At some points during the campaign the candidates will be invited to debate in front of the nation.  The major topic of the debate is announced.  Both candidates have the option to accept or decline the debate opportunity.  Both are to enter their decision to accept or decline the debate by clicking the appropriate button for their candidate on the National Debate Opportunity Screen.

Players may be curious about the issue points and other status of the opposing candidates, and may want to review them prior to accepting or declining the debate.  By clicking the Candidate Comparison button, the players may review both candidates' status on the Candidate Comparison Screen and then return with their response to the opportunity.

Don't be easily intimidated if your issue points on the debate topic is lower than that of the opposing candidate.  Many factors decide the winner of a debate and often other issues may also play a role.  Of course, the unpopularity of a candidate can decidedly influence the publics response during a debate.

How do you know the winner of the debate?  The game definitely doesn't beat around the bush about it.  If the Democrat wins, you'll see this screen:

On the other hand, if the Republican wins, you'll see the screen below:

The winner of the national debate can see a slim to major change in the nation as a result, and the losing candidate may suffer a little or greatly.  If either candidate declines a debate, they will most certainly suffer some damage.  But it may be better than if the candidate accepted the debate even though it was obvious the candidate would lose terribly.