Editor's note: as a journalist I've covered presidents and presidential candidates before.
But the fever that swept Kent this fall truly was something to witness.
It started when word broke that President Barack Obama would make a campaign stop at Kent State University.
It ballooned when thousands lined up to get tickets for the campaign rally, which packed the MACC.
And it ended when 73 percent of the city's voters picked Obama over Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
For 2012, this story is one of my picks for top 10 stories of the year.
RELATED COVERAGE:
- Kent Picked Obama in Landslide
- UPDATE: Huge Crowds Seek Tickets to Obama's Kent State Stop Wednesday