During the only televised debate between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter in 1980, each wore a black patterned tie.
In 2008, both Barack Obama and John McCain each sported red ties with white stripes. Clearly, things turned out better for Obama that year, but a red tie certainly leveled out the playing field for McCain.
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An outlier has shown up just once since debates were broadcast on color TV when Bob Dole, the Republican challenger to Bill Clinton in 1996, wore a green tie. We all know how that one turned out.
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