April madness

Tickets are available for the Democratic presidential debate on April 27.

The debate will be held at the RBC Center in Raleigh.

A random drawing will determine who receives tickets. To apply for the drawing, visit the N.C. Democratic Party's website.

The debate will be held in partnership with the N.C. Democratic Party, CBS News and N.C. State University. Katie Couric and Bob Schieffer will moderate.

"With 134 delegates at stake, North Carolina is an important state in the Democratic presidential primary," said Jerry Meek, N.C. Democratic Party chairman in a statement. "We're getting deluged with phone calls and e-mails from North Carolinians who want to hear both candidates discuss issues critical to our state.

Barack Obama's campaign still has not agreed to the debate. 

Clinton announces debate, ad buy

Hillary Clinton agreed Thursday to a nationally televised debate in North Carolina on April 27.

"CBS has offered to host a debate and I've accepted the debate for April 27th," Clinton said in a telephone conference with North Carolina reporters.

She also announced that she would begin Friday with an unusual statewide TV advertising campaign in which she would answer questions submitted in advance by Tar Heel voters during 60-second commercials, Rob Christensen reports.

"I want to be accessible to the people of North Carolina as possible," Clinton said.

It was not clear whether her rival in the May 6th Democratic primary, Barack Obama, will accept the debate. But he had accepted an earlier proposal.

The 90-minute debate would be aired at 8 p.m following "60 Minutes." It would be sponsored by CBS and the North Carolina Democratic Party and would be moderated by CBS anchor Katie Couric and CBS correspondent Bob Schieffer.

Jerry Meek, the state Democratic chairman, said two sites are being weighed: N.C. State University in Raleigh and the Blumenthal Center in Charlotte.

Clinton agrees to N.C. debate

The two Democratic presidential candidates could be debating in North Carolina April 27.

The state Democratic Party and CBS News today formally invited Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to debate either at the N.C. Blumenthal Center in Charlotte or at N.C. State University, Jim Morrill reports.

The move comes weeks after CBS first proposed an April 19 debate in the state. The Obama campaign accepted. The Clinton campaign never committed.

"We're working closely with both the campaigns, and while we don't have commitments yet we're very hopeful and excited about the possibility of a debate in North Carolina," said state party spokeswoman Kerra Bolton.

The invitations, signed by party chairman Jerry Meek and CBS News President Sean McManus, come a week after a group of Charlotte-area college presidents invited the candidates to debate at the Blumenthal.

In the invitations, Meek and McManus thanked the campaigns after having "confirmed their commitment to a North Carolina Debate."

The proposed debate would come four days after the Pennsylvania primary and 10 days before North Carolina's contest.

Update: Clinton just said on a conference call that she has accepted a debate on April 27. She said that the location has not been determined.

Syndicate content