Residents of Tuscaloosa probably had one of two things on their minds over the weekend. First, there was the Alabama Crimson Tide’s college football win over the Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta. Then, there’s another matchup this coming Wednesday. That’s when Republican Presidential candidates will converge on the University of Alabama for the fourth debate of the primary season ahead of the election next year.
Alabama Crimson Tide football games always start the same way. The Million Dollar Marching Band plays the school’s fight song. These young musicians practice at the Moody Music Building on campus. That’s where Wednesday’s Gop debate will take place.
And, that’s where we found Larry Wiggins, spray gun in hand…
“It's working, so it'll look good when we get through,” he said.
Wiggins company asked him to drive from Mobile to Tuscaloosa to wash the windows at Moody. But, only the trouble spots…
“Now, we use these have some stuff on them that we've been trying to get off for a while anyway. So we're just using a different product on it,” he added.
“Yeah, we heard about it a couple of weeks ago, that they were going to come and they're gonna shut down certain parts of moody for a period of time,” said Lauren Bruce. She’s a University of Alabama Freshman and she plays the clarinet for the Million Dollar Band. Bruce says having the debate In Tuscaloosa is nice. But, as for the politics,.
“I don't know what I feel about anything. I'm just mostly excited that it's here. Because I think it's just a cool opportunity,” Bruce said.
This is also the first time a Presidential debate has been held in Alabama. For John Wahl, the youngest GOP state party leader in the country, the fact that it’s being held on a college campus should send a strong message to young, potential voters like Bruce…
“It's incredibly important for me that we do reach out to young voters, I think there are, there's not a voting bloc out there, that it's not more important to engage with, because these are the people who are going to inherit the decisions that are being made right now in Washington, D.C.,” Wahl said.
But, there are those who think that rings hollow.
“If the GOP wants the youth vote, then I would recommend inviting students to the debate, which doesn't seem like that's happened,” said Doctor A.J. Bauer. He teaches political communication at the University. He says the GOP may be talking a lot about young voters, but there’s not much to show from it.
“There’s going to be some kind of watch party at this club next to the stadium. But, I don’t really see a whole lot of direct youth outreach here,” Bauer said.
And, Bauer is also questioning the value of holding the Tuscaloosa event at all.. Former President Donald Trump, the current GOP frontrunner, is skipping this debate just like the previous ones. Back at the Moody Music Building, Larry Wiggins, the window washer is finishing up. He’s not looking for a ticket for Wednesday’s. debate. Wiggins says he’ll watch at home…
“It is a big deal to have the debate in Alabama and especially in Tuscaloosa. So that's cool. Looking forward to seeing it. Wednesday night,” Wiggins said.
Editor's Note— APR originally reported that Alabama lost the SEC Championship to Georgia. The Tide won.
