Debate Preview
New Hampshire hosts presidential debates
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| (L-R) Senator Barack Obama, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Representative Dennis Kucinich at the Democratic Party Presidential Primary Debate on April 26, 2007. (Photo:STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images/NewsCom) |
June 1, 2007
Republicans and Democrats are getting ready for another round of debates. Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, will host debates on Sunday, June 3, and Tuesday, June 5.
Democratic presidential hopefuls will debate on Sunday; Republican candidates will debate on Tuesday. Each debate will begin at 7 p.m. EDT and last two hours. Both will be held at the Sullivan Arena at the college. A total of 18 candidates will debate.
These debates are unique because it will be one of the few times that the two main political party candidates debate back to back. Political experts think this will help voters compare candidates more easily.
"You could make a case that these debates, taken together, are the largest, most important political event so far in the '08 cycle," said Charles Perkins, vice president of editorial for the New Hampshire Union Leader and UnionLeader.com.
This is also the first election in which an incumbent (current) President or Vice President is not running for office in more than 25 years.
The debates are sponsored by CNN, the New Hampshire Union Leader, and Hearst-Argyle's WMUR-TV. You can tune in to the debates on CNN or WMUR-TV locally in New Hampshire.
Presidential Excitement
Almost 2,000 reporters, voters, and campaign staffers will attend each debate. About 700 people from different organizations will have tickets to watch the debate from the arena. One hundred seats will be set aside, close to the stage, for New Hampshire residents. Some of the residents will be able to ask candidates questions during the second hour of the debate.
Students at the college are excited to host these big events. Many students have already seen presidential candidates on their campus since New Hampshire holds the first primary election in the nation.
"It is not even a little unlikely that a student at this college would meet the next president of the United States, not once, but as many as three or four times in an election cycle," said Anne Botteri, executive director of Saint Anselm's New Hampshire Institute of Politics. "And that's a pretty exciting thing if you think about it."
Scholastic Kid Reporters are on the campaign trail. Keep up with the latest election news in this special report.
Tiffany Chaparro is a contributing writer for Scholastic News Online.
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