Gail Shister
TVNewser Columnist
As CNN’s Campbell Brown gets into full debate-mode in Texas, her heart is back home in New York.
With Eli.
No, not Eli Manning of the Super Bowl champion Giants. Eli James Senor, her two-month-old son. Until yesterday, she had never spent a night away from the infant.
“Honestly, it was painful to leave,” says Brown, moderator of tonight’s Clinton-Obama Democratic showdown. “It’s something that every working mom on the planet struggles with.
“I’ve dreamed of moderating a presidential debate. It’s incredibly exciting. But I have a new little boy at home. He’s always tugging at my heartstrings. Always.”
Eli is the first child for Brown, 39, and her husband, Dan Senor, 36, founder of a private equity firm and a Fox News Channel contributor. He’s also writing a book on the Middle East.
Since both parents travel, “we’re a tag team,” she says. “It’s never easy. You approach every situation differently. We’re still figuring it out. There are always going to be opportunities that come along.”
For Brown, a participant in the Nov. 15 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, the timing of tonight’s opportunity is perfect.
“This is the moment. We’re at the height of the campaign. Things will be decided fairly soon. To be standing in the middle of it is so exciting.”
Brown says her role “is to stay out of it as much as possible. It’s not about the journalists. It’s about the candidates. I’m there as a traffic cop, of sorts. I throw the topics out and let them drive the discussion.”