Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) is playing host (and King Maker?) along with Congressman Steve King (R-IA) in a presidential forum that will be held on Labor Day, Monday, September 5th in Columbia, SC. The Palmetto Freedom Forum is being sponsored by American Principles Project.
Republican Presidential candidates who meet the threshold of 5% in the Real Clear Politics average of national polls on August 22 will receive a formal invitation to participate. Candidates will appear individually and will receive questions from Senator DeMint, Congressman King, and Dr. Robert P. George, founder of American Principles Project and professor at Princeton University.
“I am pleased to be part of this exciting event that will help Republican primary voters make their choice for president,” said Senator DeMint. “America faces enormous challenges in the years ahead, and primary voters must thoughtfully select a candidate with the courage and conviction to fight to save it.”
“This event will present a vital opportunity for the 2012 presidential candidates to discuss their positions on a number of key issues and to outline their vision for the future of our nation,” said DeMint. “Instead of looking for ‘gotcha’ questions and sound bite answers, this event will offer candidates the opportunity to deliver their message directly to undecided primary voters in South Carolina and beyond.”
Congressman King said, “"Thirty second responses do not allow the candidates to properly spell out their understanding of our founding and their vision for our way forward. I appreciate Senator DeMint creating a venue that will let the candidates separate themselves on the issues."
Dr. George added, “The South Carolina presidential forum rests on a conviction—the belief that the way forward for our country is a renewed fidelity to the foundational principles of our civilization and the constitutional principles of our democratic republic. The forum will give those aspiring to the presidency an opportunity to demonstrate the depth of their understanding of our nation’s core principles, and the strength of their commitment to governing in accordance with them.”
This will be the third event that King and DeMint have participated in together. DeMint joined Congressman King at his Conservative Principles Conference in Des Moines, IA earlier this year which featured several Presidential candidates. Both were also present at a New Hampshire presidential forum as well.
