Hot-ticket events pop up at least several times a fall at the University of Alabama, but one of the rarest and toughest to get is already the equivalent of sold out.
Due to the size, about 1,000 capacity, of the Frank N. Moody Music Building’s Concert Hall, where Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate will be held, 7-9 p.m., all seating was by invitation only, said John Wahl, chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, known as ALGOP.
More:How GOP debate, high school football playoffs will affect University of Alabama traffic
As the choice of UA for the state’s first-ever presidential debate coincides with the Republican party’s efforts to include younger voters, ALGOP is also holding a watch party at the WestGate SkyGate Club, 1150 Eighth St. in Tuscaloosa, beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Everyone’s welcome, but must RSVP at www.docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6JAfwNwL2qUHbYjpW5B6Aph7lofix5FjWZ6JuqAw0FSYoGA/viewform.
“We wanted to make sure to include them in some fashion,” Wahl said.
And of course the event, moderated by Elizabeth Vargas, Megyn Kelly and Eliana Johnson, will be viewable via cable network NewsNation, and simulcast in Eastern and Central time zones on Nexstar’s broadcast television network, The CW. The debate will be livestreamed on NewsNation’s website, www.NewsNationNow.com, and on the online video platform Rumble. An audio broadcast of the debate will be available on SiriusXM Triumph channel 111.
More:What is NewsNation? How a rising cable news outlet landed Tuscaloosa GOP debate
Alabama’s involvement in the GOP presidential debate has been in the works for more than a year, Wahl said.
“Let me just say the Alabama Republican Party is extremely excited to host our state’s first-ever presidential debate,” he said. It was important to ALGOP that the debate site be on a college campus.
“What better place than the university that carries the state name? And has an elephant for a mascot,” he said, “and the color’s right.”
Wahl confirmed that GOP front-runner Donald Trump won’t be at this debate, just as he’s skipped the previous three. That Wednesday the former president will hold a private event for donors in Hallendale Beach, Florida. For the earlier debates, Trump counter-programmed with public events: a taped interview, a speech in Michigan, and a rally in Hialeah, Florida.
CNN reported “a text message sent from his campaign to supporters Sunday announced the ‘VIP reception’ and told recipients that if they donated to Trump’s campaign, they would be automatically entered to win a trip to meet the former president at an end-of-year reception on December 6, the same day as the debate.”
Though the candidate lineup has not been confirmed, the third debate included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. Scott has dropped out of the race.
NewsNation team will be in Tuscaloosa all week, broadcasting live from campus Monday through Thursday, with various programming on the Moody steps, and from the Quad. Leading up to Wednesday’s 7 p.m. debate, there’ll be a two-hour “Countdown to the NewsNation Republican Primary Debate” special hosted by Chris Cuomo, with chief Washington anchor Leland Vittert live from inside the concert hall.
Reach Mark Hughes Cobb at mark.cobb@tuscaloosanews.com.
