University of Kentucky political science professor Stephen Voss is an expert in public opinion and voting behavior.
Voss watched the debate on campus with a group of students. Once it was over, he sat down with ABC36 to explain his analysis on the candidates’ performances.
First, Voss said, when choosing who “won” the debate, it’s important to remember that each candidate was using a unique strategy.
He said Romney was portraying himself as active and powerful, wearing a bright, red tie and taking more risks in his statements.
Obama, Voss said, took the opposite approach. Wearing a blue tie and speaking in calmed tones, Voss said Obama portrayed a sense of security for the country.
“We’ve got to see what kind of leader the public has really got a taste for right now,” Voss said.
What Voss said really stood out to him was that Kentucky was never mentioned. He said candidates focused on the battleground states that could swing either republican or democrat.
“The message the typical Kentucky voter may have gotten from that if they noticed that trend was, ‘I didn’t hear Kentucky mentioned once.’”
Voss said only time will tell how voters will react to how each candidate performed.
