140townhall.com

-Six candidates participated: @newtgingrich @TeamBachmann @THEHermanCain @RickSantorum @GovGaryJohnson @ThadMcCotter
-According to moderator S.E. Cupp, "we averaged 180 tweets per minute, over 3800 mentions, and over 4500 RTs."



PRESS RELEASES from TheTeaParty.net

 
For Immediate Release
:
Contact:
Dustin Stockton
www.TheTeaParty.net

TheTeaParty.net Announces Twitter Presidential Debate to be Held July 20, 2011  
This first-of-its-kind debate will use proprietary Twitter platform  

Phoenix, AZ - June 23, 2011 -- www.TheTeaParty.net announced today that on July 20th, 2011 they will be hosting a groundbreaking Republican Presidential primary debate that will use a proprietary streaming Twitter platform as the key debate medium and that many top presidential candidates have already confirmed participation.

The event will be moderated by nationally syndicated talk show host, Rusty Humphries, and other conservative/Tea Party personalities who will be announced in the weeks leading up to the debate. TheTeaParty.net has already agreed to have the New Hampshire Tea Party Coalition cosponsor the event, and local Tea Party organizations from around the country will be given the same opportunity.

Several of the top presidential candidates have already confirmed their participation. “This is an incredible way for candidates to use a new media medium to reach an untapped audience,” said TheTeaParty.net Media Director, Dustin Stockton. “We expect that the few candidates who have not yet agreed to participate will have a hard time ignoring a national coalition of Tea Party organizations and Twitter activists.”

“We will be releasing the names of the confirmed candidates after the 4th of July holiday to give the few remaining candidates who haven’t confirmed time to get acquainted with the platform,” added Stockton. “This event is going to be the first of its kind and once again proves that the innovation and creativity of the Tea Party movement is unmatched.”

The streamingTwitter platform, which was developed by 140 DEV LLC, uses a proprietary system that can isolate directed Tweets of candidates and moderators. The site also simultaneously tracks and analyzes the influence of the Presidential Twitter debate on both the 2012 Election and the digital space itself. Twitter updates can be found on www.twitter.com/theteaparty_net and you can join the conversation using the #140townhall hashtag.

Founded in 2009, TheTeaParty.net is one of the largest Tea Party organizations in the country. Since its inception, TheTeaParty.net has recruited thousands of people a week to the Tea Party movement and offers free tools, a national calendar, resources, and events to help grow the movement.

Tags: tea party, Twitter debate, presidential candidate, #140townhall, @theteaparty_net

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To book a media appearance or speak with a representative of TheTeaParty.net regarding the Twitter debate, including the technology, members of the media should contact TheTeaParty.net Media Director Dustin Stockton at (480) 355-1379 or dustin@theteaparty.net.

TheTeaParty.net Announces S.E. Cupp Will Moderate Presidential Twitter Debate in Concord, NH

MESA, Ariz., July 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- TheTeaParty.net announced today that the Presidential Twitter Debate scheduled for 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. ET on July 20 will be moderated by bestselling author, political analyst and Glenn Beck TV host, S.E. Cupp. Ms. Cupp will preside over the debate proceedings at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, NH, which will be attended by New England area Tea Party activists.  TheTeaParty.net supporters from across the country will be participating online by posting questions via Twitter using @140townhall and watching the event stream online.

Republican presidential candidates confirmed to date include Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Herman Cain, former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), former Gov. Gary Johnson (R-NM), Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI),  and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), with other candidates expected to confirm soon.

"As my beleaguered followers can tell you, I'm a committed Twitter devotee. It's great to see that the candidates are recognizing its power, and the democratization of social media. I'm looking forward to playing a role in what will be a historic and groundbreaking moment in electoral politics," said S.E. Cupp.

The proprietary streaming Twitter platform was commissioned by TheTeaParty.net and built by 140 DEV LLC. The core function of the platform is the ability to isolate directed Tweets of candidates and moderators. Twitter updates can be found on www.twitter.com/theteaparty_net and activists can join in the debate by using @140townhall. You do not need a twitter account to view the debate. The debate can be viewed at 140townhall.com.

"The Twitter debate platform is certain to engage an unprecedented number of activists, and we look forward to empowering state and local Tea Party groups throughout this election cycle to educate their members about all primary candidates running for federal, state and local office," commented Dustin Stockton, spokesman for TheTeaParty.net.


TheTeaParty.net Announces Rusty Humphries to Host Presidential Twitter Debate in Concord, NH

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- TheTeaParty.net announced today that the Presidential Twitter Debate scheduled for 3:00 - 4:30pm ET on July 20 will be hosted by nationally syndicated Talk Radio Network host Rusty Humphries. Humphries, a 25 year veteran of talk radio, is heard on over 250 stations across the country and also on Sirius-XM. He is consistently ranked in Talkers Magazine's "Heavy 100" list of the most important talk show hosts in the country, and has also been nominated as the Talk Personality of the Year by Radio and records.

Mr. Humphries commented, "What an honor to be involved in something with such historical importance. Direct access to our leaders is what our founders envisioned and this "twitter debate" is exactly what our Republic needs at this time. I can't wait to see what a politician can say in 140 characters."

Humphries will be assisted by author and Glenn Beck TV host Ms. S.E. Cupp who will help moderate the debate at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, NH. The debate will be attended by New England area Tea Party activists.  TheTeaParty.net supporters from across the country will be participating online by posting questions via Twitter using @140townhall and watching the event stream online. Following the debate, Humphries will lead a discussion group with the activists and tape segments for his syndicated show from the event site.

Dustin Stockton, national spokesman for TheTeaParty.net, stated, "We are proud to be able to offer Tea Party activists a groundbreaking debate combining cutting edge Twitter platform and the presence of one of the most respected and trusted voices in media.  Rusty's well-known commitment to empowering and educating activists and his spot-on commentary will make our debate the best of this election cycle."

Republican presidential candidates confirmed to date include Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Herman Cain, former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), former Gov. Gary Johnson (R-NM), Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA).

Founded in 2009, TheTeaParty.net (TTP) is one of the nation's largest Tea Party organizations with almost a 1,000,000 hits a month and more than 300,000 members. Devoted to providing educational and leadership resources to local organizations, TheTeaParty.net offers free tools, including a national calendar, free virtual and location-specific events, promotes like-minded organizations and helps them grow, and provides a Washington presence to assist Tea Party-oriented legislators to educate and expand their reach on issues of importance to the Tea Party movement. The proprietary streaming Twitter platform was commissioned by TheTeaParty.net and built by 140 DEV LLC. The core function of the platform is the ability to isolate directed Tweets of candidates and moderators. Twitter updates can be found on www.twitter.com/theteaparty_net and activists can join in the debate by using @140townhall. Register to receive presidential debate updates on this groundbreaking event.


Debate Rules:

 

1.       The debate will last for 90 minutes on July 20th 2011 from 3:00pm EST – 4:30pm EST.

2.       All debate tweets must include @140townhall to be included in the debate

3.       External links are banned except during opening and closing statements

A.      Videos used for opening and closing statements cannot exceed 3 minutes

 

Opening Statements:

 

1.       Opening statements will be restricted to 4 minutes per candidate. 

2.       Candidates can tweet their opening statements or provide an external link to a video/website.

3.       Order will be drawn at random

4.       Other candidates will not tweet using @140townhall during other candidates opening statements. 

 

Open Questions:

               

1.       Moderators will ask a question to the entire field of candidates and discussion will last for 5 minutes. 

2.       There will be 5 open discussion questions

3.       Moderators will ask follow up questions in order to keep the discussion moving. 

4.       Campaigns will be provided with the topics 72 hours before the debate.

 

Individual Questions:

 

1.       Each candidate will be asked 1 or 2 individual questions based on time. Each candidate will get an equal number of individual questions. 

2.       Individual questions will be limited to 2 minutes.

3.       Moderators will have the option of asking no more than one follow up question. 

4.       Only the candidate specifically asked a question will tweet using @140townhall during the two minutes following the question. 

 

Closing Statements:

 

1.       Closing statements will be restricted to 4 minutes per candidate. 

2.       Candidates can tweet their opening statements or provide an external link to a video/website.

3.       Order will be the reverse of opening statements

4.       Other candidates will not tweet using @140townhall during other candidates closing statements.