Prior to the much-awaited presidential debate, the University of Mississippi hosted a “Rock the Debate” festival from noon till 8 p.m. on Friday.  Students, Oxford residents, and visitors from around the region poured into Ole Miss’s campus to be a part of the free festival which combined music, food, games, and political excitement.

The Thad for Senate tent was set up in “Issues Alley,” a place in the grove where young voters could stop by and gather information on different campaign issues.  View pictures below of the Rock the Debate festival.

Cochran supporters stop by the Thad for Senate tent in the grove.

Josh Crump and Casey Stafford hold up their Thad signs during an MSNBC broadcast in the grove.

Tom Brokaw, an NBC News Special Correspondent, is interviewed on the MSNBC broadcast in the grove.

We are thrilled with Senator John McCain’s announcement today that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will join the Republican ticket as his running mate.  The reveal of the first Republican female running for national office folds nicely into this week’s national celebration of the 88th anniversary of women’s right to vote.

Sarah Palin’s small-town background is one understood by Mississippians.  Like many children in your own communities, she was a teacher’s kid, a basketball player, and a hunter.   Governor Palin’s personal history suggests that she built upon the basic tenets learned from those first experiences to dictate how she would journey to the highest office in the State of Alaska; tenacity, fairness, sincerity, compassion.   

Her personal background is note-worthy, her record of accomplishment as the Governor of Alaska is vote-worthy.  She is the only candidate with Executive experience on the national ticket.  Palin is the Commander-in-Chief of the Alaskan National Guard and has a son soon to be deployed with the Army in Iraq.  She has a record of governmental reform, and knows all too well as the mother of five, how to account for the “least” of us. 

There is no doubt that Governor Palin’s appearance will offer additional excitement and enthusiasm to the Republican Convention - stay tuned Mississippi!!

In response to the selection, Cochran’s Communication Director Natalie Buchanan says, “I congratulate Governor Sarah Palin as she is the first female Republican Vice-Presidential nominee. It is a historic moment as Senator McCain’s selection falls during the week we celebrate the 88th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which guarantees women a right to vote.  Governor Palin, a conservative leader with executive experience, is known for her pro-life, pro-gun, and fiscally conservative policies which are values important to Mississippians.  She will compliment Senator McCain well in the White House.”