Upcoming presidential debate is Boston's 'biggest ticket'

By Bill Delaney/CNN

BOSTON (CNN) -- There have always been hot tickets -- confrontations with a lot at stake. In Boston, though, where politics is a blood sport, there has never been a hotter ticket than the right to enter the gym at the University of Massachusetts at Boston for Tuesday night's first presidential debate.

If you inquire about tickets on the Presidential Debate Commission's hot line, you get this: "At this time, we have no information on the availability of tickets. Please be aware that tickets are extremely limited."

Tickets to the first presidential debate, to be held here, in the gym at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, are "extremely limited"

The president of the University of Massachusetts, William Bulger -- who may get a few tickets -- keeps getting all these phone calls from "old, dear friends."

"Who are we going to offend?" Bulger asked rhetorically. "And there's sort of this sense that, 'I know you can do it if you really want to,'" he adds with a smile.

In fact, only a few hundred tickets will be available among the two political parties and the debate commission.

Some might ask, why not just watch the darn thing on TV?

"It will be the toughest ticket this town has ever seen," said Brian McGrory of the Boston Globe.

"It' s all about ego -- It's you know, get yourself in that hall - and you are somebody," McGrory said.

To track a "somebody," political insiders say just follow the money. Look for a healthy contingent of big contributors to the two candidates.

As if Boston weren't political enough, adding to the pressure for tickets is the lust for them among the political class just north of here in New Hampshire, site of the first primary -- and where both candidates have plenty of supporters with those dreaded three words on their lips: "You owe me."

Some are saying, in fact, the only thing worse than not having a ticket in Boston is having an extra one and trying to keep all your friends at the same time.

"Boston's a small town, it loves politics -- and everybody remembers everything in this town," said political columnist Mary Ann Marsh.

Final decisions on who gets into the hall may not be made much before Monday.