But there’s a ton of security; the entire front entrance is blocked off. Correspondent Ruth Samuelson is in a downstairs ballroom, looking for the veep-to-be. One awkward moment: Delaware State Society honcho Nancy Aiken was supposed to present a check to a Delaware firefighters’ charity, but she spaced on bringing the check itself. When she realized that she’d forgotten the loot, she ducked off to the side. Remember: Aiken is the enterprising woman who resurrected the Delaware State Society after it had lapsed. The requirement for membership in this selective group is that you have to have eaten dinner at one point in the state of Delaware. Which means that every meathead who’s ever spent a weekend at Dewey Beach is eligible to hang with the big boys at the Willard Hotel, theoretically at least.

Reporting by Ruth Samuelson, writing by Erik Wemple