Politico:
The first presidential primary debate has been set for May 2, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation announced Monday.
The debate, co-hosted by POLITICO and NBC News, will be held at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.
POLITICO Editor-in-Chief John F. Harris and NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams will moderate the debate, which will be aired on MSNBC, CNBC, and Telemundo and streamed live on POLITICO.com.
Of course, the big question is which candidates will participate.
For reference, during the first GOP primary debate of the 2008 nomination contest, also held in early May at the Reagan Library with NBC and Politico co-moderating. In that debate, the GOP field included Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul, and Mitt Romney as well as lower profile candidates like Sam Brownback, Games Gilmore, Duncan Hunter, Tom Tancredo, and Tommy Thompson. Fred Thompson was the lone GOP candidate who hadn't yet announced.
Of the 2012 top tier prospects (Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, and Newt Gingrich), none have committed. Huckabee, however, has already made it clear he will definitely skip it, whether or not he decides to run. Romney would seem to be a lock to attend given how clear he's been about his plans to run. Likewise, Gingrich has said he'll decide in the spring if he's running. If he decides to make the bid, he'll also be a lock to attend. That leaves Palin, and unless she announces that she will not be running for President in 2012, she'll be in the lede of every story about the debate whether or not she attends.
The debate also probably sets up a timeline for lower tier candidates like Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Mitch Daniels, Herman Cain, Mike Pence, Gary Johnson, and John Thune to declare their plans. It's easy to see how a Huckabee or Palin could sit on the sidelines and still enter the race, but it's hard to see how a lower tier candiate could afford the luxury of passing up this debate. That means unless one of the lower tier candidates has a secret plan on how to win, the whole GOP field should be pretty well set by May 2 with the exceptions of the Foxers, Huckabee and Palin.