Candidate Forums
In addition to debates during the pre-primary and primary period, there are myriad events where the candidates make their cases before the same audience.  Here are a few examples from 2007:

ONLY DEMOCRATS PARTICIPATING

FEBRUARY
-Feb. 1-3, 2007 - Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting, Washington, DC.
-Feb. 21, 2007 - AFSCME-sponsored forum at Carson City Community Center in Carson City, NV.

MARCH
-Mar. 24, 2007 - SEIU/Center for American Progress Action Fund "New Leadership on Health Care: A Presidential Forum" at UNLV in Las Vegas, NV.
-Mar. 28, 2007 - Building and Construction Trades Legislative Conference Presidential Forum at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC.

APRIL
-Apr. 10, 2007 - MoveOn.org "Virtual Town Hall" on Iraq. >
-Apr. 18-21, 2007 - National Action Network's 9th annual convention at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in New York, NY.
-Apr. 28-29, 2007 - California Democratic Party Convention at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

MAY

JUNE
-June 19, 2007 - AFSCME Democratic Presidential Forum moderated by MSNBC's Chris Matthews, part of AFSCME's 2007 National Leadership Conference, at Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC.

JULY
-July 7, 2007 - MoveOn.org "Virtual Town Hall" on Global Warming. >

AUGUST
-Aug. 4, 2007 - YearlyKos Presidential Leadership Forum in Chicago, IL. >
-Aug. 7, 2007 - AFL-CIO Presidential Candidates Forum at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. >
-Aug. 9, 2007 - Human Rights Campaign Foundation and Logo forum on gay issues in Los Angeles, CA. >
-Aug. 2007 - National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation (501c3) and the National Community Pharmacists Association Foundation (501c3) 2007 Presidential Candidate Forum on Health Care (Democrats) at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny. >

SEPTEMBER
-Sept. 12, 2007 - Yahoo!, The Huffington Post and Slate online-only Democratic presidential mash-up. >
-Sept. 20, 2007 - Iowa AARP and Iowa Public Television Democratic Candidate Forum in Davenport, IA. >

OCTOBER
NOVEMBER

DECEMBER
-Dec. 1, 2007 - Iowa Brown & Black Democratic Presidential Candidate Forum in Des Moines, IA.

JANUARY
-Jan. 15, 2008 - Caucus of African American Nevadans/Impacto issues forum in Las Vegas, NV.

ONLY REPUBLICANS PARTICIPATING

MARCH
-Mar. 1-3, 2007 - CPAC 2007-34th Annual Conservation Political Action Conference at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC.
-Mar. 29-Apr. 1, 2007 - Club for Growth 2007 Annual Winter Conference in Palm Beach, FL.

APRIL
-Apr. 14, 2007 - Republican Party of Iowa's Lincoln Day Unity Dinner at the Polk County Convention Complex in Des Moines, IA.

MAY

JUNE
-June 30, 2007 - Presidential Candidates Forum hosted by Iowans for Tax Relief (ITR) and the Iowa Christian Alliance (ICA) at the Iowa Events Center at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines, IA. >

JULY

AUGUST
-Aug. 11, 2007 - Iowa Republican Straw Poll on the Iowa State University campus in Ames.

SEPTEMBER
-Sept. 17, 2007 - Values Voter Debate at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. >
-Sept. 21-23, 2007 - Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference at the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, MI. >

OCTOBER
-Oct. 4-5, 2007 - Americans for Prosperity's 'Defending the American Dream Summit'  at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC.
-Oct. 19, 2007 - FRC Action's Washington Briefing 2007: Values Voter Summit at the Hilton Washington in Washington, DC. >
-Oct. 25, 2007 - Iowa AARP and Iowa Public Television Republican Candidate Forum in Sioux City, IA. >

BIPARTISAN PARTICIPATION
(although sometimes it's just one Republican and many Democrats)

-Mar. 14, 2007 - IAFF Bipartisan 2008 Presidential Forum at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, DC.

-June 30, 2007 - National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)'s 2008 Presidential Candidates Forum at its 24th Annual Conference at the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Format: Minimum of 4 questions – Iraq, education, health care &   immigration.  The moderator may ask follow up questions.  After 13 minutes of  Q&A’s, 2-minute closing statement.

-July 12, 2007 - NAACP at the 98th NAACP National Convention at Cobo Hall in Detroit, MI.

-Sept. 21, 2007 - NRA Celebration of American Values conference at the Capitol Hilton  in Washington, DC. >

-Dec. 1, 2007 - "The Heartland Candidate Forum – A Conversation with Real People on Real Issues," cosponsored by coalition of over two dozen community organizations including Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines, IA.

DID THIS HAPPEN?
-June 7, 2007 - 100 Black Men Inc. Presidential Candidates' Town Hall Meeting at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.  >
 

Quotable: "I urge...that the parties in the key primary states early on will come together to have bipartisan events.  Nothing will take more poison out of the system than requiring the candidates to be in the same room with partisans from both sides because you cannot biologically be as vicious and as nasty as the current system if you're face to face..." - Newt Gingrich during "Lincoln at Cooper Union" dialogue, Feb. 28, 2007.
 
 
Copyright © 2006, 2007  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action