The 2026 debates, claim by claim

From September 30 to October 28, Verum Signal covered 25 debates in 12 states. We pulled out every checkable claim and rated it against independent sources, with who said it and the sources behind each rating. Most debates were covered live as they aired; a few were run afterward from the broadcast recording. New Hampshire’s governor debate tonight, October 29, is the last of the season.

What came up most

Health care came up more than any other issue, followed by immigration and the border, energy, government budgets and foreign policy. About one claim in five was about the candidates themselves: their records, their votes and their careers.

How it works

Each claim shows who said it, a rating, and the sources the rating rests on. Speaker names are checked again after every debate, and flagged ratings are reviewed after it ends. When a rating changes, the claim carries a public correction note saying what changed. This season, 43 ratings were changed after review, and 48 claims carry a correction note. The full approach is in our methodology, and anyone can dispute a claim through corrections.

What we don’t do

We don’t score candidates or parties, and we don’t say who won. We provide the signals. You decide.

Every debate, by state