Who Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Invited to the First Presidential Debate
The candidates invited a range of supporters to attend the debate tonight.
— -- While the biggest attraction during the presidential debate tonight will be the two candidates on stage, at least some attention will likely be paid to those in the audience.
Here's a look at who the candidates invited to sit in the audience at tonight's debate.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton's campaign this morning released a partial list of guests invited by the Democratic presidential nominee to the debate at Hofstra University in New York.
The four women on the list are all supporters who have developed a special relationship with Clinton over the years. They include a 9/11 survivor; a single mom and domestic abuse survivor; and a woman who became a pen pal to Clinton when she was the first lady.
The list also includes Anastasia Somoza -- a woman with cerebral palsy who was recently featured in a campaign attack ad about Donald Trump's mocking of a disabled reporter.
Most notably, the Clinton campaign has also given Dallas Mavericks owner and Trump antagonist Mark Cuban a front-row ticket for the show.
Chelsea Clinton is also expected to attend, according to a spokeswoman for the former first daughter.
And, the Clinton camp said this morning it is hosting 1,200 debate-watch parties across all 50 states tonight.
Clinton's running mate Tim Kaine will attend a watch party in Orlando, Florida, organized by the Human Rights Campaign. Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, will also attend that event, an aide said.
Donald Trump
This morning, reports emerged that the Republican nominee invited Mark Geist, one of the survivors of the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, to attend the debate.
Geist has been vocal in his support of Trump's candidacy; he spoke on the first night of the Republican National Convention alongside fellow security contractor John Tiegen about the attack in Benghazi.
Trump also over the weekend fired off a tweet about a possible guest to the debate. After Mark Cuban posted about his plans to attend the event in support of Clinton, Trump tweeted Saturday: “If dopey Mark Cuban of failed Benefactor fame wants to sit in the front row, perhaps I will put Gennifer Flowers right alongside of him!”
Bill Clinton admitted in the 1990s to having had a sexual relationship with Flowers two decades earlier.
On Sunday morning, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told ABC's "This Week" that Flowers, "has not been invited by the campaign."
However, the Clinton camp used Trump's tweet to accuse the Republican nominee of acting unpresidential.
"He's a reality TV star. He’s very experienced at providing television entertainment. The presidency is not about entertainment. It’s about serious decisions," Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos Sunday.
ABC News' Jessica Hopper contributed to this report.