St. Anselm College: Debate Stage and Student Political Hotbed

St. Anselm College, a liberal arts college in Manchester, will host the eighth Democratic debate.

Katherine Warth was shivering and soaked as she trekked across St. Anselm College’s quadrangle towards the university’s student center. 

But when it came to talking about her school’s place as the stage for Friday’s Democratic debate, the Rochester native’s eyes lit up.

“It’s a huge thing on campus,” said Warth, who is majoring in American Studies. “Everyone’s really stoked for it to happen here, there’s lots of activity on social media, people posting that they’re proud.”

St. Anselm College is a private liberal arts college in Manchester, about half an hour from the state capital of Concord. It is the home of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, which helped the campus establish itself as a hotbed of political activity during primary season.

Warth said that this year, everyone on campus felt the political tension. She works in the school’s alumni office, and received countless emails from St. Anselm graduates who offered messages of support and congratulations to the school for remaining involved in the American political process.

Many students on campus spoke about what they wanted to see from the debate. Ashley Mitchell, 19, from Massachusetts, said her top priorities were climate change and healthcare.

"I found it interesting that so many candidates now have such sweeping plans for medical reform," Mitchell said.

T.J. Robinson, a sophomore political science major, said that he was interested in hearing about gun control. Robinson said that the continued school shootings across America led him to focus on gun policy.

"I think it'd be interesting to see how candidates balance the preservation of the 2nd Amendment with the rise in gun crime," Robinson said.

Robinson also said that the candidate he wanted to see most on the debate stage is Andrew Yang. Robinson likes Yang’s ideas and his jokes, but he isn’t ready yet to call himself a member of the Yang Gang.

"He once said something about a cent costing more than a cent to make," Robinson said. "I like that he speaks differently and has different ideas."

For her part, Warth said she is in South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg’s camp for the debate and the following primary. But most of all, she’s excited to have her school host the debate.

ABC News will co-moderate the debate with reporters from New Hampshire station WMUR-TV. The debate will run from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday night.