The 1992 presidential election cycle featured incumbent President George H.W. Bush, a Republican; Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, the Democratic nominee; and businessman Ross Perot, running as an independent. The first debate was a 90-minute discussion on a variety of topics with questions split between foreign and domestic policy. Moderated by Jim Lehrer, with questions posed by a panel of journalists, it took place on October 11, 1992, in St. Louis.