TAMPA, Fla. -- Nearly every candidate's camp declared victory after Monday night's debate in Tampa. So how do you truly declare a winner? For debate teams at the University of South Florida, success is judged on specific criteria.
When judging debates, local teams say they look to speakers who demonstrate their positions clearly and offer specific solutions. They also give high marks to those who rely on facts and logic, rather than opinions that are meant to provoke the audience.
In fact, tonight's debate is also a chance for those same students to brush up on their own skills.
"College debate is very evidence-centric, a lot of paper and online files and sources, and it's always good to have a direct source from a presidential candidate that we can use to support one of our arguments in a round," says Gregory Almeida from the USF St. Petersburg Debate Team.
"It's an exciting time to have this event here in Tampa, and for us as an organization. We're looking up to these people because they are the public figures that are going to be captivating our attention and the polarizing figures in our lives," says Jason Funes, who heads the recently established USF Toastmasters.
After watching the debate, neither team could declare one specific winner. However, Funes credited candidate Herman Cain for being specific in his policy recommendations. The USFSP Debate Team thought former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman also did well at pointing out specific changes he'd make, and said Mitt Romney sparked debate without making outlandish claims.
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