COLUMBIA, S.C. - A nationally televised Democratic presidential debate will be held in Greenville just five days ahead of South Carolina's first-in-the-South primary, the state party announced Wednesday.

The Jan. 29 event will be carried on MSNBC, NBC Radio and in-state NBC affiliates. The debate falls between the Jan. 27 New Hampshire primary and the Feb. 3 primaries and caucuses in South Carolina, Delaware, Missouri, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and North Dakota.

There had been some concern over where the debate would be held.

Among other sites, state organizers had considered holding the event at Furman University, which is located in Greenville County, outside the Greenville city limits. However, Greenville County is the only county in the state that keeps offices open on the Martin Luther King holiday, so Democratic leaders decided against that venue.

Candidates planning to attend include former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

The campaigns of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, retired Gen. Wesley Clark and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich had not yet confirmed.

South Carolina also hosted the first formal Democratic presidential debate of this election season back in May.

"Increasingly, national media are suggesting that South Carolina is one of the most important state in the delegate selection process, given our first-in-the-South status," said state Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin. He said the timing of the debate "presents candidates with a tremendous opportunity and a difficult challenge at the same time."

State party executive director Nu Wexler said his group is working on a ticket distribution plan to be announced in the next three or four weeks. Despite still needing to raise cash to pay for the statewide primary, Wexler said Democrats would not be selling tickets to the event.

The 90-minute debate will begin at 7 p.m., although a format has not been set and a moderator has not been chosen.

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On the Net: http://www.scdp.org/