The eyes of the nation will turn to Hanover today with the arrival of presidential hopefuls Bill Bradley and Vice President Al Gore for the Democratic town meeting tonight in Moore Theater.
A kickoff to head-to-head campaigning for the February 1 New Hampshire primary, tonight represents the first time the two Democratic contenders will appear on stage together in front of a national audience.
With New Hampshire's early primary a key political indicator, Bradley, a former New Jersey Senator and player on the 1970 and 1973 World Championship New York Knicks basketball team, is slightly ahead of Gore in the latest polling of residents.
According to the Associated Press, a Quinnipiac College Poll of New Hampshire Democrats showed Bradley with a lead of 47 percent to Gore's 39 percent, with a five percentage point margin of error.
Other polls of state residents, including a Boston Globe poll released last weekend, show the two in a statistical dead heat. But Gore enjoys a substantial, though tenuous, lead nationwide with most polls giving him a double-digit lead over Bradley.
Gore, who lost ground nationally to Bradley earlier this year, has recently experienced an upswing. USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll reported Tuesday that Democrats preferred Gore over Bradley 57 percent to 32 percent. Two weeks earlier, the margin was 51 to 39.
Insight from professors
Government Professor Lynn Vavreck said tonight's forum is more significant for Gore because the public has higher expectations of him and he must appear "like the successor to the throne."
"Bradley seems to spend more time [in the state] and is running well here, so Gore is the one with the most to lose if he has an uneven performance," government Professor Constantine Spiliotes, who specializes in the American Presidency, said.
The nominating process is about expectations, and if Bradley does better than expected, his campaign will gain momentum leaving the forum, Vavreck predicted.
"He doesn't have to deliver the knock out punch," Vavreck, who specializes in campaigns and the media, said. "But he must hold his own and appear to be presidential in comparison to the vice president."
Since Gore has thrown elbows to Bradley in the media, if he seems too combative at the forum, it may hurt his image, especially given Bradley's laid back nature, Spiliotes said.
"They both need to talk as though they have a particular vision in mind. Gore is criticized for talking about incremental policies, and, in reverse, Bradley has talked in big images, so it will be a competing battle of visions of the country," Spiliotes said.
He added that greater definition is needed in their respective educational and social policies to better distinguish them.
Although Republican candidates are scheduled to appear in Moore tomorrow for a forum, tonight's forum has garnered far more attention since Republican front-runner Governor George W. Bush will not be in attendance tomorrow.
With the Democratic race seeming to be headed for a tight battle and the vice president participating in the forum, tonight's town meeting has become the clear focal point of the two-day event.
Nonetheless, much of the nation's attention will be directed towards Hanover for both occasions. Approximately 250 media outlets will be in town for the town meetings.
"The national spotlight will be on Hanover and Dartmouth students. I've gotten calls from reporters around the world asking what the mood is on campus," Vavreck said.
Grassroots politics
Student volunteers of the Bradley and Gore campaigns are gearing up for a jam-packed day of political activity.
According to Arun Palakurthy '02, a student organizer of the Bradley campaign, student supporters will gather at the entrances to Hanover for a "Wake-Up to Bradley" event as the media caravans arrive.
Additionally, 150 students are expected to rally for Bradley at 5:15 p.m. in front of The Hopkins Center.
"As excitement and the media frenzy kicks in, we look to gather curious and interested students," Palakurthy said.
According to Palakurthy, the campaign has enjoyed "wonderful" support over the last few days, including a turnout of 50 students just to design posters.
"We keep on recruiting and we feel the numbers we're citing will get bigger because there is so much enthusiasm and support for Bradley," Palakurthy said.
Meanwhile, local and student Gore supporters will hold a large pre-rally with a band at the corner of College and East Wheelock streets to welcome the vice president at 6:00 p.m., Gore campaign organizer Tom Leatherbee '01 said.
According to Leatherbee, the local Gore campaign headquarters will host a debate-watch party where invited supporters will view the proceedings on a big screen television.
A post-reception will follow the town meeting at headquarters at 9:30 p.m. where both the Vice President and his wife Tipper Gore will make an appearance.
