Election Cycle Stage 1: On the Road to First Debate

— -- It’s hard to say which candidate had the home court advantage at Hofstra University on Long Island, New York, on Monday night. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump's campaign headquarters are both located less than 35 miles away from Hofstra’s Macek Sports Complex. Both made the comfortable commute in black SUVs, while I pedaled in pursuit of the politicians.

Fortunately, the bike paths were not nearly as crowded as the Long Island streets, many of which were closed to motorized vehicles for security reasons. We made pit stops at Trump Tower and the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, and Donald Trump’s boyhood homes in Jamaica Estates, Queens.

In June 1946, Mr. and Mrs. Trump brought their newborn son home to a Tudor-style home placed on the market earlier this year for $1.65 million. After six months on the market, the owner has agreed to auction the home starting at $849,000. The real estate agent described it as a “huge deal,” mimicking Trump’s rhetoric.

The students of Hofstra were excited to be hosting the most-watched television debate in recent history. Over 100 million people are estimated to have tuned into the event, nearly 40 million more than those who watched the 2012 presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, also hosted on Hofstra’s campus.