New Mexico Governor and Former VP Nominee wear Relaxing Attire

With nearly 6 hours until the debate, the bustle on campus is extreme. With a Secret Service sweep of the Filing Center, Debate Hall and Spin Room complete. Bring on the show. After a walkthrough of the facilities on campus, I am amazed. The Debate Hall is located in the Sullivan Arena is set up with glass podium for each of the eight candidates. Each podium is set with a chair for the candidate. The backdrop of the debate is set up with blocks, featuring logos from The Union Leader, WMUR, and CNN.

While we were in the debate hall, we caught an inside look at the production of CNN’s -The Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer. Justin Martell, Frank Blais and I stopped for a quick word with Blitzer, and then met Lou Dobbs who was in the Arena doing his walk through as well.

While we were in the debate hall, we snapped pictures on stage, and of the debate set. Frank Blais and I were asked to leave the stage right after we took our pictures because Former VP nominee John Edwards would be arriving to do his walk through, and see his spot for tonight’s debate. We even snapped a few pictures of Edwards and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as they walked about at separate times.

We over heard the placement of the candidates while we were on the debate hall floor. The podium Frank and I stood at in the picture to the right allegedly is Governor Bill Richardson’s, we will have to wait and see when the debate gets underway at 7pm, on WMUR Channel 9 in New Hampshire, and CNN Across the country.

Former VP nominee Edwards and Governor Richardson both were wearing their relaxing attire. It looked from our vantage point on the ‘political catwalk’ just above the seating bowl that Governor Richardson was spotting some type of sweat suit, and Edwards was wearing jeans, and a white dress shirt with a blue blazer. Both seemed very relaxed. Governor Richardson seemed too joked with the staff on the debate floor, and looked like he was very attentive when hearing more in-depth about what will happen at tonight’s debate.

Interestingly enough with political candidates being in the same building, we had no trouble getting into the debate hall, we walked right through the metal detectors that beeped as we went through. No one asked questions but as the afternoon went on security became even tighter. After a security sweep we were asked to leave the filing center at 2 p.m. and could not come back until 3 p.m.

I had some time to kill, my self, Eric Jackman, and Justin Martell met with Carl Cameron, Chief Political Correspondent for Fox News, and talked with him about the New Hampshire Primary being first in the nation, he supported the First in the Nation Primary, and backed it up with numbers.

Still had time to kill so I walked the Saint Anselm Campus with recent Franklin Pierce grad, and new Union Leader Reporter, Trent Spiner. Trent and I agreed it was a beautiful campus although the weather wasn’t perfect we had a slight drizzle, it was cloudy, cold and raw.

It’s going to start heating up, here at Saint Anselm. For now, I’m off to get footage of the campus and head into the spin room.