Live stream: Watch the first Obama-Romney presidential debate
After months of speeches, advertisements and long-distance pot shots, President Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney square off face-to-face Wednesday night at 6 p.m. PDT for the first of three presidential debates.
Held at the University of Denver, and moderated by former PBS “NewsHour” anchor Jim Lehrer, the debate will be focused on domestic policy issues ranging from the economy to Medicare. The debates will last until 7:30 p.m. PDT, and be broken into six 15-minute segments, each of which will be devoted to a particular topic.
The campaigns have already begun sparring over the highly anticipated event, setting expectations, hearing pundits dissect what they must do to succeed, and preparing their social media “spin rooms.”
PHOTOS: Memorable presidential debate moments
The debate comes at a particularly crucial time for Romney, whose performance in the polls, especially in vital battleground states, has lagged since the party conventions. Expectations are high for the former Massachusetts governor, who has undergone an intensive series of preparations for the debate and took part in 19 debates during the Republican primaries.
Obama, on the other hand, saddled with the responsibilities of the Oval Office, arrives to Denver seemingly less prepared than his opponent.
Watch the debate live through the feed above, courtesy of YouTube, Yahoo and ABC News, or follow Politics Now’s ongoing updates of the proceedings.
PHOTOS: Scenes from the first presidential debate
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