But that doesn’t mean they won’t this time, Republicans and Democrats and even some political scientists say.

“I’d say this debate will be very impactful,” said Tulsa County Republican Party Chairman Mike Ford. “People say it every election, but this really could be the most important one in a generation.

“Trump is saying we need to change the way we do things,” Ford said. “Clinton is saying we need to go along in the same direction.”

“Presidential debates are very important,” said Ford’s Democratic counterpart, Jo Glenn. “This first one especially. It will either be an argument over ideas or a rush to the lowest denominator.”

Both say their candidate is the one who is all about issues, while the opposition deals in character attacks and trivialities.

“I expect to see Hillary Clinton well-versed and able to hold her own no matter what insults Trump throws her way,” Glenn said. “And there will be insults because that’s Trump’s style.”

Glenn said Trump “says things that are never true. Most of the time it’s not even spin. It’s just a lie. It’s hard to know when he’s not lying because it’s so rare.”