First Democratic Presidential Debate Schedule for April

The first Democratic presidential debate will be sponsored by the South Carolina Democratic Party and will likely be towards the end of April. Unless I am working or in class, I expect that I will be watching it.

Erwin said the debate - which would feature Democratic candidates - would be tied to the April 27 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner and the state party convention the next day. He said he's begun informal talks with television networks that might be interested in carrying the debate nine months before South Carolina's first-in-the-South presidential primary on Jan. 29, 2008.

South Carolina Republicans have already announced that they've set May 15 for a GOP candidates' debate.

The date under discussion for a Democratic debate makes sense because "if you're a serious candidate for president, you're going to want to be in South Carolina that weekend for our convention," Erwin said. "If you don't want to come participate in our event that weekend, it hurts your chances to secure the Democratic nomination."