ODESSA, Texas — The 2024 Presidential Debate between President Joe Biden and Former President Donald Trump has sparked a debate of its own regarding which candidate had the better performance.
Representatives of the Democratic and Republican Parties in Ector County had their own thoughts regarding the situation.
Speaking for the Ector County Democratic Party, JoAnna Keese thought that President Biden seemed tired from his four years of presiding over the country, which could've thrown him off his game.
“My initial thought was that he was under the weather and hoarse, and I so badly wanted him to just kind of reach for a cough drop or a drink of water," Keese said. "I did get the impression he was under the weather, and I don't know if it was from possibly over prepping or actually being out there stomping and campaigning.”
Jaime Mendoza is the chairman for Precinct 310 of the Ector County GOP. He, like other Republicans, praised Trump for his performance.
“It was very good. I think it was. Trump did very well," Mendoza said. "He was very controlled and very disciplined. I don't think he allowed any of the questions or any of the comments to trigger him or anything. So I think he did really well.”
Each candidate had their own flaws.
Mendoza pointed out that Trump had issues with repeating some of his statements at times.
"Just repeating himself on a few of the items, but I think he could have covered a few more other things, but that's fine," Mendoza said. "I think he did well on that for the most part.”
As for Keese, she though Biden didn't have the same "cool factor" like he had in 2020, when he first sparred with Trump at the debates.
“He just wasn't as punchy as people expect him to be," Reese said. "I think with that, it came with some disappointment because we wanted to see that Uncle Joe style. We wanted the guy who says 'will you shut up man.'”
However, both candidates had their strong moments.
Democrats have praised Biden for doing his best to stay on point while trying to stick with the facts.
"I know he did release a statement saying, you know, I may not be as smooth as I once was, but I always tell the facts," Keese said. "So if you can focus on content and facts and get past maybe the style, then I think you'll find that it was a better debate than has been given credit for.”
Republicans think that Trump did a good job of keeping his cool and hitting the talking points that he needed to.
“I think his strength is having that discipline and being calm," Mendoza said. "You know, speaking clearly and covering all the issues such as the immigration, the legal immigration, the border security, the economy, things like that.”
Both sides could agree that, after the debate, their faith in their preferred candidate remained firm.
Mendoza claims that Republicans have seen an increase in voter interest among many groups after the debate.
“We see support among black voters, among Hispanic voters, among the women voters. We see increases in all different levels and all different states," Mendoza said. "I mean, I think he's doing very well I think a lot of people feel very good."
Democrats like Reese, however, believe that Biden is still the man who represents the Democratic Party best.
"As Democrats, we don't need a debate to tell us what our core values are and who represents those values for us, and of course, it's Joe Biden,” Keese said.