FACE TO FACE

Clinton, Trump to meet Monday in first debate.

It was a parade of red and blue in the Valley Saturday as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton supporters geared up for the first of many presidential debates.

Political experts predict the Monday debate, moderated by Lester Holt, will shatter viewership records.

And the hype is not going unnoticed in Arizona.

As a potential swing state, both campaigns are doing everything they can to build excitement.

Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence hosted a rally at a Mesa church Thursday.

Saturday, Trump campaign supporters and local officials handed out signs at their campaign office in Mesa.

Also on Saturday, actress Jamie Lee Curtis stopped by a Democratic campaign office in Tempe to rally Clinton volunteers and organizers.

Actress Kate Walsh did the same in Tucson, where she once attended the University of Arizona.

The Trump-Pence headquarters was speckled with blue and red campaign signs emblazoned with the catchphrase “Make America Great Again.” Volunteers kicked off an effort to distribute 30,000 signs to supporters around the state.

Small-business owner Dustin Graham was among the Trump supporters. He said he’ll be watching Monday’s debate.

“The media has built it up to be such a big deal, it’s going to be a really watched event,” he said. “I’m just hoping it’s going to be a calm, cool, collected showing by Trump. I want to see him be strong, but also respectful; show he can maintain his composure and just answer the questions.”

Passions were high as supporters sporting Trump shirts and hats carried stacks of signs back to their cars. According to Coalter Baker, communications director for the Arizona Trump campaign, they distributed about 7,500 signs in Mesa Saturday.

Graham said he came all the way from northern Arizona to get more signs to distribute. He rolled up in a car with American flags, and Trump’s face and policies plastered on the side.

“I wanted to do everything I could to get the word out about my candidate,” Graham said. “I figured it would be a good eye-catching way to get into conversations with other people and show the love and support for Trump.”

Graham said he expects to see Trump on Monday night place a heavy focus on immigration, taxes and business regulation.

Clinton’s Tempe campus campaign office was also abuzz Saturday as Curtis stepped into the building with the Clinton logo pinned to her blazer. Curtis has been vocal in her support for Clinton in the past, even giving speeches at rallies with Clinton.

“I’m tired of people talking about [the election] and not doing anything, so I decided to do something,” Curtis said.

Curtis was in the Valley for a book signing for her new children’s book, “This Is Me: A Story of Who We Are and Where We Came From.” The book is centered around immigration, an issue Curtis said is key to this election and to Arizona voters.

She walked into the building filled with campaigners with clipboards and phones in hand and stepped through the tables, thanking and chatting with volunteers.

Curtis said she was looking forward to the debate.

“I just hope her experience, strength and hope comes across in the way I know it can and will with her tremendous ability,” she said. “I understand he’s going to be all over the map. That’s his thing, isn’t it? To just sort of be all over the map. I’m not interesting in what he’s going to do. I’m interested in how she’s going to present her ideas and her vision for America.”

Others in the room had a different philosophy, including 16-year-old campaign intern Samarrah Stephan.

“I’d like to see more information as far as Trump’s policies,” Stephan said. “I think they’re lacking on lots of logic and I would like to hear Hillary continue to touch on her polices like healthcare. I would like to hear plans from both of them.”

Stephan said she was tentative about getting involved in the campaign, but decided to do it after she heard Clinton’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. This, she said, was the first election where she feels involved and believes the outcome is critical.

“I feel like one of the most important things is just to have hope for our future, hope that this election will help this country,” Stephan said.