Candidate stand-ins step into their roles ahead of town hall presidential debate

Win McNamee / Getty Images

Hofstra University students Josh Ettinger, left, and Tevon Hyman act as stand-ins for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama during stage rehearsals for the second presidential debate Oct. 15, in Hempstead, N.Y. The debate, a town hall format where the candidates will take questions posed by citizens, will be held Tuesday evening.

Everyone is wondering how the town-hall format will affect tomorrow's debate and this is our first look at the stage where the action will take place. If you squint, this is what it will look like (sort of).

NBC News reports: With new national polls (Washington Post/ABC, Politico) showing a very close contest between President Obama and Mitt Romney, as well as tightening battleground-state internals that we’ve heard about, the stakes for tomorrow night’s debate couldn’t be any higher, especially for the incumbent president. Not only is there a sense of urgency for Obama to be more aggressive at this second presidential debate, the town-hall format presents an opportunity and challenge for Romney: It will either prove the Obama argument that the GOP nominee is out of touch with middle-class concerns, or it can help knock it down. Full Story