For people who study political debates, there is a general sense that they do not change many minds. Instead, they tend to support people’s enthusiasm, or lack of enthusiasm, to vote for candidates that they have chosen.

While Tuesday’s debate involving five of the nine mayoral was unlikely to change many votes, it will likely influence voter enthusiasm. Over the course of six rounds of questions having to do with everything from the airport to housing policy, candidates attempted to distinguish themselves from their opponents and solidify their support. The large crowd that saw the debate sponsored by WJLD in the Carver Theater saw candidate answers that ranged from highly technical to highly personal.

In general, debaters are rated according to their ability to answer the questions ask

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