Debate prep underway

With approximately 3,100 media members credentialed to cover the debate, Joani Wardell, media director for the Commission on the Presidential Debates said in a media briefing today that this vice presidential debate will draw unprecedented national and international attention.

According to Wardell there will be 60 countries represented in the media and there will be more media present on Thursday than in any other vice-presidential debate in history.

In 2004’s vice-presidential debate approximately 2,500 media members were credentialed and there were 2,800 for last cycle’s presidential debate.

At last week’s debate at the University of Mississippi there were 3,200 credentialed media members.

Since the vice presidential candidates were announced, Wardell said that there was a surge in media credential requests.

“We had a large contingency from Alaska and Delaware who suddenly decided they needed to be here,” Wardell said. “I think I heard from every single radio station in the state of Alaska.”

According to Wardell, construction of the debate structures are currently underway, with the podiums that the candidates will stand at scheduled to be up no later than 10 a.m tomorrow.

Continuous sound and camera checks will be occurring in the debate hall during these next few days leading up to the debate.

Rob Wild, chair of the vice presidential debate steering committee, confirmed that the secret service is already present on campus and is working with local law enforcement.

“We have great participation from many agencies, local agencies. That is one of the great elements of cooperation in these debates having city county region-wide law enforcement participation,” Wild said.

When asked whether the failure of the House's bailout package would affect the deabte as it did the presidential debate last week, Wardell assured that the debate is continuing to prepare to air live at its scheduled time on 8 p.m. Thursday.

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