South Carolina State University will host the first Democratic presidential primary debate of the 2008 election cycle. Officials say the April debate will raise the profile of the university and the state party.

Sixth District Congressman James E. Clyburn, an SCSU alumnus, said the debate will bring greater recognition of SCSU’s status as an 1890 land-grant institution with the purpose of training and educating rural African-Americans in the state.

“That makes this debate important because if we’re going to have the kind of national security that our people want, we are going to have to look to rural South Carolina, rural America to do it,” Clyburn said. “The kind of energy independence that we need in order to secure our nation, I think, is also going to be found in rural America.

“The second reason this debate is important is because S.C. State is a predominantly African-American institution, and African-Americans have played a pivotal role in the South Carolina Democratic Party. I get tired of this notion that the South Carolina Democratic Party takes blacks for granted. This debate gives us proof that we give equal weight and fair consideration to African-Americans in a way that nothing else could.”

Clyburn, the House majority whip, helped convince the Democratic National Committee to give South Carolina a standalone primary on Jan. 29. 2008.

The debate

Clyburn, S.C. Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin, and other state and local governmental leaders gathered at SCSU on Monday afternoon to announce the debate.

“It is time for South Carolina to take our place alongside Iowa and New Hampshire as a leading state when it comes to presidential politics. It all begins right here at S.C. State on April 26, when we make history with the kick-off presidential debate of the 2008 cycle. Viewers from across the country will see first-hand one of South Carolina’s most important institutions of higher learning,” Erwin said.

The debate will be nationally televised through a partnership with the state Democratic Party, NBC News and SCSU. It will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 26, 2007 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium on the SCSU campus.

NBC News will produce the debate, which will be hosted by the HBCU. MSNBC will carry exclusive live coverage of the debate, which will also be streamed on MSNBC.com. State NBC affiliates WIS-TV in Columbia, WYFF-TV in Greenville and Charleston’s WCBD-TV will join MSNBC in airing the debate.

MSNBC’s network signature political program, “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” will air live from SCSU at 5 p.m. on April 26, with key interviews and analysis in anticipation of the debate.

Erwin noted that the Democratic National Committee selected the state as the second presidential primary state for the Democratic presidential nominating process, behind New Hampshire.

“I truly believe that the DNC selected South Carolina because of the great job our team did in 2004. We broke records for turnout, with nearly 300,000 voters going to the polls. We trained and secured 6,000 people for polling places. They all volunteered their time to make the 2004 South Carolina primary such a great success,” Erwin said.

‘Translate this

into action’

State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter of Orangeburg said the debate will give the candidates a chance to sharpen their message amid a target audience. Cobb-Hunter is national committeewoman to the Democratic National Committee and also represents South Carolina on the DNC and the Southern Caucus on the DNC Executive Committee.

“When you come to the South, you’re coming an area that is diverse and strongly Democratic. That gives all these candidates a chance to hone their message. I’m excited about the debate coming here not just because of S.C. State, but all of the HBCUs in the community,” she said, including Claflin University, Voorhees College, Denmark Technical College and Morris College.

“All of these HBCUs are within a 60-mile radius, so I’m excited about the possibilities. Putting on a debate is a lot of work, but I think Orangeburg County is up to it,” said Cobb-Hunter, noting that South Carolina is increasingly becoming an must-win state for Democratic presidential candidates.

“If you go back to our last primary, the only state John Edwards won was South Carolina, and he wound up being the vice-presidential nominee. So South Carolina is a very crucial state as far as the Democratic primary process is concerned. Almost of the candidates have already been here with the exception of two, and I certainly expect to see most, if not all of them, over the next year or so,” Cobb-Hunter said.

“The key is to translate this into action. There’s a real concerted effort on the part of a whole lot of folks to pull this debate off, and I think we’re well on our way to do that. We look forward to coming here in April,” she said.

SCSU President Andrew Hugine said he is looking forward to showcasing an institution which has produced more minority officers for the United States Army than West Point and has also graduated nine members of the state General Assembly, six college presidents and more than 113 professional athletes.

“We see this debate as a learning opportunity for our entire S.C. State community and a chance to showcase some of the innovative work that we’re doing here in this community. We stand ready as full partners to support NBC and the Democratic Party in ensuring that this is going to be a successful debate,” Hugine said. “We pledge all of the resources of this campus.”

Hugine said the university will work with its city and county colleagues to ensure that issues facing families here are not ignored and recognized as being the same others face across the nation.

“There is also significance in hosting this debate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium. No single American has done more to advance the cause of equality and justice in this country. What better place to have the issues debated that will determine the future course of this nation in the coming year?” Hugine said.

Orangeburg Mayor Paul Miller said, “I just see this as a great opportunity to showcase the area ... and for the candidates to see all the people in this area. It’s an experience that you really can’t put a value on.”

State Sen. John Matthews, who is an SCSU graduate, said, “I think the impact of this debate on the institution and this community will be immeasurable. I think we will be able to send the message out loud and clear of all the good things that came out of this institution.”

He said, “I think they’ll have benefits from students, alumni who are proud of it, and I think it’ll help us on recruitment and financial arrangements. You can’t measure the value in highlighting this university, county and community. This is the hub of African-American politics in this state. With all these colleges that we have here, that will add to that value.”

The debate will kick off a full weekend of activities which the state Democratic Party will host to celebrate the Countdown to Change 2008 South Carolina Democratic Primary. The Jefferson Jackson Dinner will be held on Friday, April 27 and will be followed by Clyburns’ annual fish fry on Friday night and the state party convention on Saturday.

“Today, we’re a little more than a year away from the primary season. South Carolina Democrats are poised once again to have make our voices heard,” Erwin said. “We have new leadership in Washington like our own Jim Clyburn, and an exciting, historical field of candidates emerging for the 2008 election.”

State Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson congratulated the party, Erwin and SCSU for securing a presidential debate.

“This shows how important South Carolina’s role will be in choosing the next president. Here at the South Carolina Republican Party, we are honored to host what should be the first Republican presidential primary debate in the nation,” Dawson said. Fox News will air the state Republican presidential primary debate live on May 15, Katon said.

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5534. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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