Debates can be defining moments for presidential candidates. Since they provide rare opportunities for voters to see candidates face off directly against one another, debates can produce viral moments and soundbites that get replayed on cable news and social media. In some cases, those moments can be devastating if they seem to confirm a pre-existing concern about a particular candidate, which will be especially relevant given the historically large 2020 field, most of whom will appear on a Democratic primary stage in Miami on June 26 or 27. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the public policy center at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, says that debate flubs become important because they are repeated so much afterward. “Largely, these moments have meaning because the press gives them meaning,” she said.