Thursday, May 5, 2011
  Press Releases on the First-in-the-South Republican Party Presidential Debate 		BACK

PRESS RELEASE from South Carolina Republican Party

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Joel Sawyer

Five candidates confirm participation in SCGOP – Fox News Debate

Columbia, SC – May 4, 2011 – South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Karen Floyd announced that the following five candidates have qualified for and will be participating in tomorrow night’s First-in-the-South Republican Presidential Debate. Those candidates, in alphabetical order, are:

Herman Cain, former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza
Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico
Ron Paul, U.S. Representative from Texas
Tim Pawlenty, former Governor of Minnesota
Rick Santorum, former Senator from Pennsylvania

“The Upstate of South Carolina has always played such a significant role in deciding the Republican nomination, and for that reason it is fitting that we begin our national debate about the future of this nation right in the heart of the Upstate,” Floyd said. “We give great credit to all of these candidates for being willing to stand before a national audience and lay out their plans and ideas for the future of this country. We are looking forward to a great debate among these presidential hopefuls.”

The debate will be televised live on Fox News Channel tomorrow evening beginning at 9:00 p.m.

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PRESS RELEASE from South Carolina Republican Party
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Joel Sawyer

SCGOP Silver Elephant Dinner to feature 2012 Republican candidate forum
 
Columbia, SC – April 21, 2011 – South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Karen Floyd today announced that this year’s 44th Annual Silver Elephant Banquet will feature a first-ever Presidential Forum consisting of a number of 2012 presidential candidates.
 
Traditionally, the Silver Elephant has hosted a single keynote speaker. This year, a number of potential 2012 candidates are expected to attend, and each will be given an opportunity to lay out their vision for America before the SCGOP’s premiere annual gathering.
 
“We are incredibly excited about our field of candidates who are poised to take back the White House in 2012,” Floyd said. “Though this is certainly a non-traditional approach to our banquet, we thought this to be a very fitting way to introduce our top donors and top activists to our field of contenders.”
 
Floyd noted that the first week in May would serve as the official kickoff to South Carolina’s First-in-the-South nominating season, with a nationally televised SCGOP-Fox News debate to be held in Greenville on May 5, the Silver Elephant Banquet to be held in Columbia on May 6, and the state Convention to be held in Columbia on May 7.
 
South Carolina has played an auspicious role in the presidential nominating process, as no candidate has won the GOP nomination without winning our state’s First-in-the-South contest. That record holds true all the way back to the South Carolina primary’s inception in 1980.
 
Floyd said that specific participants would be announced soon. Invitations to speak at the Silver Elephant are being extended to those candidates who participate in the May 5 debate.
 
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PRESS RELEASE from FOX News
April 11, 2011

FOX NEWS ANNOUNCES ENTRY CRITERIA FOR MAY 5
SOUTH CAROLINA GOP DEBATE

FOX News has released its criteria for entry into the South Carolina Republican Party debate on May 5th, announced Michael Clemente, Senior Vice President of News for the network.

 In making the announcement, Clemente said, “Every potential debate candidate must meet all six steps of the following criteria no later than 5 PM/ET on Friday April 29th in order to be eligible for participation in the debate.”

 Criteria for entry are as follows:

 ·         Must register a presidential exploratory committee or have announced a formal campaign for president; and

·         Must file all necessary paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC); and

 ·         Must file all necessary paperwork with the South Carolina Republican Party; and

 ·         Must have paid all federal and South Carolina filing fees; and

 ·         Must meet all U.S. Constitutional requirements; and

 ·         Must have garnered at least an average of one percent in five national polls based on most recent polling leading up to April 29th, 2011

In December, FOX News and the South Carolina Republican Party announced they would present two presidential debates. The initial debate will take place on May 5th at the Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina. The second debate will be held in 2012 prior to the South Carolina primary at a location to be determined.

The debates are currently scheduled to be presented live and exclusively on FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX News Radio, FOX News Mobile and FOXNews.com.

FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour general news service covering breaking news as well as political, business and entertainment news. For over 100 consecutive months, FNC has been the most-watched cable news channel in the country. Owned by News Corp., FNC is available in more than 90 million homes.

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PRESS RELEASE from South Carolina Republican Party

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Joel Sawyer

First GOP debate expected to draw wide range of candidates

April 8, 2011 -- South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Karen Floyd today announced at least five candidates are expected to participate in the SCGOP – Fox News First in the South Presidential Primary Debate, taking place on May 5 in Greenville, South Carolina.
 
Currently expected to participate, in alphabetical order, are:
 
Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House
 
Ron Paul, U.S. Representative from Texas
 
Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota
 
Buddy Roemer, former governor of Louisiana
 
Rick Santorum, former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania
 
“We are thrilled by the overwhelming interest we have seen so far in this debate,” Floyd said. “The road to the White House travels through South Carolina, as our Republican electorate has selected every eventual nominee since our primary’s inception in 1980. We are looking forward to our debate as the official kickoff for the presidential primary season.”
 
Additional participants are expected to be announced at a later time.
 
To be eligible for participation in the debate, candidates must register a presidential exploratory committee or presidential campaign with the Federal Elections Commission, file paperwork to be placed on the ballot in South Carolina, pay associated state and federal filing fees, and meet national polling criteria consistent with what was used in the 2007 Fox-SCGOP debate. Please note that all listed candidates have not formed an exploratory committee at this time.


PRESS RELEASE from FOX News via Business Wire  [see also SCGOP video]

December 15, 2010
                                                 
FOX NEWS AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY PRESENT TWO PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES FOR THE 2012 CAMPAIGN

NEW YORK - (Business Wire) FOX News and the South Carolina Republican Party have jointly announced that they will present two presidential debates, which are expected to attract the top 2012 Republican contenders for President of the United States. The debates are currently scheduled to be presented live and exclusively on FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX News Radio, FOX News Mobile and FOXNews.com.

The initial debate will take place on May 5, 2011 at the Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina. The second debate will be held in 2012 prior to the South Carolina primary at a location to be determined.

In making the announcement, FOX News' Senior Vice President of News Editorial Michael Clemente said, “Fox News looks forward to presenting these key debates with the South Carolina Republican Party and giving the contenders an open forum to present their views at this critically important time in the country's history.”

Karen Floyd, Chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party added, “We are incredibly pleased to partner with Fox News to host the First in the South 2012 Republican Presidential debate. South Carolina Republicans have a flawless record in selecting our Party's presidential nominee, and our state will continue to play a pivotal role in the 2012 nominating process. The eyes of the nation will be watching South Carolina, starting on May 5.”

FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour general news service covering breaking news as well as political, business and entertainment news. For over 100 consecutive months, FNC has been the most-watched cable news channel in the country. Owned by News Corp., FNC is available in more than 90 million homes.


FOX News
Dana Klinghoffer