CONTACT: Ashley Berke Public Relations Manager 215.409.6693 [email protected]
NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER DEBATE FACT SHEET
Located in Historic Philadelphia on America’s most sacred historic ground – Independence Mall – the National Constitution Center is a museum that brings the story of the Constitution to life to over one million visitors per year. Open daily to the public, the Center serves as an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of the U.S. Constitution and the ideas and values it represents. As America’s town hall, the Center has also hosted several debates, town hall meetings, and political events since opening on July 4, 2003.
• On March 18, 2008, Senator Barack Obama delivered an address from the Center’s Kirby Auditorium. • On May 7, 2007, the Philadelphia Mayoral Primary Candidates Debate was held at the Center with all five candidates in attendance – Bob Brady, Dwight Evans, Chaka Fattah, Tom Knox, and Michael Nutter. • On December 2, 2006, the Center hosted Senator John McCain in a Town Hall Meeting with The Big Talker 1210’s Michael Smerconish. • On October 16, 2006, the Center sponsored the third and final PA Senatorial Debate between Republican incumbent Rick Santorum and Democratic challenger Bob Casey. • On February 4, 2006, Senator Hillary Clinton spoke at the Center to over 1,000 members of the American Democracy Institute. • On October 13, 2004, a special Town Hall meeting following the Presidential Debate was held at the Center. • On October 21, 2003, the Center was home to the 2004 Philadelphia Mayoral Debate. • On August 11, 2003, the Center hosted its first presidential debate when the Sheet Metal Workers held the 2004 Democratic Primary Debate on the Grand Hall Overlook. • The Center has also hosted three Liberty Medal Ceremonies, honoring Viktor Yushchenko, the President of Ukraine; Presidents George H.W. Bush and William J. Clinton; and Bono and DATA, the advocacy organization he co-founded to combat poverty and disease in Africa. • Other distinguished guests who have participated in events at the Center include Prince Charles, First Lady Laura Bush, Former Attorney General John Ashcroft, Lynne Cheney, and Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Antonin Scalia.