HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. _ The sprawling and brawling 2016 presidential contest narrowed to a rare moment of focus and clarity Monday night as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump shared a stage for the first time to say how, with their vastly different styles and approach, they would lead the country for the next four years.
The first debate of the fall general election campaign was preceded by a Super Bowl-level of hype, and the audience for the 90-minute session was expected to approach that of the nation's biggest annual television gathering, with perhaps as many as 100 million viewers tuning in.
Less certain was how many minds would change based on what the Democratic and Republican rivals say and do during their time on stage at Long Island's Hofstra University.
The nominees opened with statements reflective of their year-plus campaigns, Clinton framing the choice before voters as a referendum on fitness for the office, Trump warning of the need to urgently right the country's course.
"You have to judge us," Clinton said to voters. "Who can shoulder the immense, awesome responsibility of the presidency?"
Trump said, "We have to stop our jobs from being stolen from us. We have to stop our companies from leaving the United States."
History shows that debates tend to reinforce pre-existing perceptions rather than move a mass of voters or cause a significant number to change their minds and switch support.
Still, in a competitive contest between two candidates who evince passionately held views _ both positive and negative _ the prospect of a direct, face-to-face confrontation produced one of the most widely anticipated political events in memory. The event fell just over six weeks before Election Day on Nov. 8.
Adding to the drama was the asymmetric nature of the confrontation.
Clinton, who has spent the better part of four decades in public life, was unquestionably the better-versed in matters of policy and substance. But a large swath of the public views her with suspicion and questions her honesty and openness.
The challenge for the Democratic former first lady and secretary of state was to allay those concerns in the relatively brief time allotted and forge the sort of empathetic connection that came so naturally to her husband, Bill Clinton, the former president, but has largely eluded Clinton throughout her political career.
Trump, who has notably stinted on detail, is a pitch-perfect television performer. But his unfiltered and inflammatory statements have called into question his temperament, and his shallow policy platform has raised doubts about the Republican business mogul's ability to step into the Oval Office and function as president.
His time onstage offered a chance to address both questions but also posed a new challenge: Unlike debates during the Republican primary, when Trump shared time with more than a half-dozen rivals, he will be alone onstage with Clinton, unable to recede to the background for long periods as he did during the GOP contest.
Clinton was by far the more experienced debater, having participated in more than three dozen going back to her first run for U.S. Senate in New York in 2000. For Trump, the session was to be his first one-on-one encounter with a political opponent.
Much of the pre-debate focus fell on the moderator, NBC's Lester Holt, and whether he would fact-check the candidates in real time or leave the two to point out each other's falsehoods or hyperbole.
The debate will be divided into six 15-minute segments on three broad topics chosen by Holt: "America's Direction," "Achieving Prosperity" and "Securing America."
Each candidate will get two minutes to respond to a particular question. They will have the opportunity respond to one another and Holt can ask follow-up questions.
Clinton entered the debate in the stronger political position, holding a consistent lead in most national surveys and, more significant, an advantage in the route to 270 Electoral College votes.
The two major independent candidates, Libertarian Gary Johnson and the Green Party's Jill Stein, were excluded from the debate stage, having failed to meet the level of support in polls that was set by the debate organizers as a threshold to participate.
Clinton and Trump are scheduled to debate twice more, on Oct. 9 in St. Louis and Oct. 19 in Las Vegas.
Their running mates, Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, are set to debate a single time, Oct. 4 in Farmville, Va.
