MILWAUKEE — The area around Fiserv Forum was relatively quiet in the final hours leading up to the first Republican primary debate on Wednesday.
Some people attributed the intense heat, the overall political activity, and/or the absence of former President Donald Trump.
"I was really surprised because I got a bunch of emails saying everything's gonna be blocked off and be like chaos that kind of vibe," Luke Stevens said as he walked by the Deer District.
"It's framed as a pretty important event," Vito Mackenzie said.
The stretch of restaurants and bars nearby were also calm. Some of the businesses told TMJ4 News that they did not expect a significant surge in customers because of the debate.
"There's not as many people, as I initially thought there would be but the hype is still here or there are people talking about it," said Brian Foster who just moved to Milwaukee as preparations began for the debate.
While former President Trump was absent from Milwaukee, his supporters were not.
"It might be quiet for all the candidates, but we are not been quiet for President Donald Trump," Lane said as he led a group of young Trump volunteers.
"I would like to have seen the president show up. I heard an interview that Reince Priebus gave earlier in the morning. He thought it probably would've been a smart thing to do I kind of agree with his assessment," Senator Ron Johnson said as he arrived at Fiserv Forum.
Senator Johnson said uniting the party is necessary to win the White House.
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