MSNBC announced Tim Russert will moderate a Democratic presidential debate one week from tonight. NBC News is partnering with New England Cable News, Dartmouth College and New Hampshire Public Radio for the debate which will be held at Dartmouth.

"New Hampshire, and the nation, want to know and deserve to know where the candidates stand on the issues," said Russert in a press release. "This debate will do just that."

The two-hour debate begins at 9pmET. NECN's political reporter Alison King will join Russert in questioning the candidates for part of the debate.

Click continued to read the press release...

NBC NEWS, NECN, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE AND NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO TO SPONSOR DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE ON SEPTEMBER 26

NBC NEWS' TIM RUSSERT TO MODERATE

SECAUCUS, NJ - Sept. 19, 2007 - NBC News, NECN, Dartmouth College and NH Public Radio will co-sponsor a debate among the Democratic candidates for president on Sept. 26, 2007 at Dartmouth College.

The debate will be held from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. and will be moderated by NBC News' Tim Russert, moderator of "Meet the Press' and NBC News Washington Bureau Chief. NECN's political reporter Alison King will join Russert in questioning the candidates for part of the debate.

The debate, which will be produced by NBC News, will be simulcast live on MSNBC, NECN and on New Hampshire Public Radio and will also re-air in Spanish on Telemundo.

MSNBC.com will also stream the debate live.

"New Hampshire, and the nation, want to know and deserve to know where the candidates stand on the issues,' said Russert. "This debate will do just that.'

"NECN has a strong tradition of producing political debates in New Hampshire and looks forward to bringing this debate to our 4 million viewers across New England, and to the rest of the nation as well,' said Charles J. Kravetz, vice president of news and station manager at NECN.

"We are also looking forward to working with Tim Russert, one of the most well-respected political journalists in America today,' said Kravetz. "We're thrilled to partner with New Hampshire Public Radio, which has enormous reach throughout the entire state of New Hampshire, and we're delighted that the prestigious Dartmouth College will be our host.'

The debate, which will be open to all media, will be held in Spaulding Auditorium in the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.

Dartmouth President James Wright said that political debates at their best provide opportunities for candidates to sharpen positions and engage issues.

"We hope this event will facilitate that process and meet a clear public need. Moreover, one of the benefits of being a Dartmouth student is that during every student's four years here, a political campaign literally extends to our front porch,' he said. "Many students become politically engaged and a number sign on to work with one of the candidates."

Built on the worldwide resources of NBC News, MSNBC defines news for the next generation with world-class reporting and a full schedule of live news coverage, political analysis and award-winning documentary programming -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MSNBC's home on the Internet is msnbc.com. Msnbc.com delivers a fuller spectrum of news. Drawing on its award-winning original journalism, NBC News heritage, trusted sources and Microsoft's advanced technologies, the site presents compelling, diverse and visually-engaging stories on the consumer's platform of choice. Nielsen/NetRatings reports more than 26 million unique visitors for July 2007, making msnbc.com the number one TV news site, ahead of ABC, CBS, and Fox News combined.

Members of the media can get more information about MSNBC and its programming on msnbc.com or the NBC Universal Media Village Web site at www.nbcumv.com.

NECN is the largest 24-hour regional news network in the country, with 3.6 million subscribers in more than 1,050 communities across New England. It is a partnership of Comcast and the Hearst Corporation. The station specializes in long-form journalism, producing documentaries and extensive local and national political coverage. For more information on NECN, go to www.necn.com.

Dartmouth College, founded in 1769, is a member of the Ivy League. Dartmouth includes an undergraduate arts and sciences program and four graduate schools: Arts and Sciences Graduate Programs, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and Tuck School of Business. For more information about tickets for the debate please visit www.dartmouth.edu/debates. For information about Dartmouth College visit www.dartmouth.edu.

NHPR is the only statewide radio network in New Hampshire and serves about 150,000 listeners with award winning public radio programming from NPR, PRI and APM as well as locally produced programs and outstanding news coverage. For more information, go to www.nhpr.org.