First presidential primary debate in April
Posted: Monday, January 08, 2007 3:00 PM by Huma Zaidi
Filed Under:
White House, 2008
From NBC's Huma Zaidi
Iowa has the pleasure of being the first nominating contest of the 2008 presidential race, but it's South Carolina that gets the race's first major debate. We are pleased to announce that MSNBC and the South Carolina Democratic Party will host the first presidential primary debate on April 26 from South Carolina State University. The debate, which will air from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm ET on MSNBC, will also be carried on three NBC affiliates in South Carolina. MSNBC will also carry extensive political coverage leading up to the debate including a debate preview and a special edition of Hardball which will air live from the university.
In a statement, South Carolina State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin expressed his enthusiasm at having the debate at the alma mater of South Carolina's own Rep. Jim Clyburn, who serves as majority whip. “Having worked closely with the top-notch NBC News team in 2004 for the Presidential primary and debate, we know just what kinds of results they can produce when it comes for viewership, voter education and voter participation," Erwin said. "Democratic candidates can rest assured that their campaign messages will be heard by millions of South Carolina voters and NBC viewers across the country," he added.