Dartmouth will host all eight candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination in a debate to be held on Sept. 26. The event, which will take place in Spaulding Auditorium at 9 p.m., will constitute the third of six debates officially sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee.
Tickets for the Democratic debate, which will be moderated by Tim Russert, NBC's Washington Bureau chief and host of "Meet the Press," were offered to students and Hanover residents via an online lottery system. Nearly 3,800 entries were received.
Media alterations to Spaulding Auditorium will leave about 700 seats available. Dartmouth will be filling about 335, with the other seats divided among the College's partners in the debate: NBC, New England Cable News, New Hampshire Public Radio, the DNC and the New Hampshire Democratic Party.
Some 200 of these seats will be filled by the lottery, with the majority -- about 115 -- reserved for students. The College will invite 135 other guests, which may include students and Secret Service agents, according to Director of Media Relations Roland Adams. Students may also have an opportunity to take tickets unclaimed by Dartmouth's media partners.
The 90-minute debate will be broadcast live by MSNBC, NECN, NHPR and several NBC radio stations. MSNBC, which has yet to announce the exact format of the debate, will also air both pre- and post-event shows.
The event will thrust Hanover into the national media spotlight. The news program "MSNBC Hardball with Chris Matthews," will anchor its show from campus, while other NBC programs will include live or taped segments from the College.
A press filing center and "spin alley" will also be established in Alumni Gym to accommodate the several hundred journalists who are expected to attend.
"We intend it to be a very exciting opportunity for students," Adams said. "It's a side benefit of a Dartmouth education that at some point during an undergraduate's four years here the presidential campaign comes to the doorstep. This is one way that happens."
Students have played an integral role in preparations " a feature that Andy Reynolds '09, president of the College Democrats, said makes the event unique.
"One of the things that distinguishes this debate from any other is that our level of student involvement, compared to any of the other debates in recent history, has just been overwhelming," Reynolds said. "Hopefully that will be reflected in the execution of it."
Student representatives from the College Democrats, College Republicans, Student Assembly, Council on Student Organizations and Programming Board have helped plan the debate alongside several Dartmouth offices and Jenny Backus, a Democratic consultant.
Several student organizations have also come together to host a "watch party" in Leede Arena, which could involve as many as 2,000 participants. Candidates may stop by at the debate's conclusion.
Pia Carusone, communications director for the New Hampshire Democratic Party, emphasized the importance of a New Hampshire debate during a year in which the state's hold on the "first in the nation" primary is threatened.
"The early nominating states have had to defend their positions," Carusone said. "So any focus on New Hampshire is good focus."
Dartmouth's forum will add to the tally of at least 30 Republican and Democratic candidate debates that have been scheduled since April 2007.
Dartmouth was asked to host the debate by NECN in February. The College's New Hampshire location has routinely made it a campaign stop. Dartmouth was the site of nationally televised presidential primary debates in 2004, 1999, 1988 and 1984.
Though it was originally announced that a Republican presidential candidate debate would occur Sept. 27, that debate was cancelled after conflicts made the date unworkable.
Dartmouth is looking to reschedule the debate, but has yet to find a possible date that falls when students are on campus " a requirement that Adams said is important to the College.
"We feel that the first purpose of an event like this is to be an educational experience for students," Adams said.
Adams added that it is not unusual for scheduled debates to fall through.
Dominik Kolodziejczyk '08, president of the College Republicans, expressed satisfaction with the Democratic debate in an email message to The Dartmouth.
"While it's unfortunate that we failed to get a Republican debate held here (at least as it looks for now), in the grand scheme of things, I'm glad that at least a Democratic debate will be hosted, as it helps reassert the College as a political player within New Hampshire for 2012," he wrote.
