NBC NEWS STATEMENT ON REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

TAMPA, FL -- JANUARY 21, 2012 -- NBC News Senior Vice President of Specials Mark Lukasiewicz today issued the following statement regarding the status of Monday's presidential primary debate:

"All four qualifying Republican presidential candidates have confirmed their attendance for Monday's NBC News, National Journal, Tampa Bay Times debate. Florida has often been the stage for history in politics -- we look forward to hosting a substantive and stimulating forum for the candidates to make their case to the voters in this crucial state and the whole country."

The NBC News, National Journal, Tampa Bay Times Republican Candidates Debate, in association with the Florida Council of 100, will take place on Monday, January 23 at 9:00pm ET at the University of South Florida. The debate will be moderated by NBC's Brian Williams and will include a panel with National Journal's Beth Reinhard and the Tampa Bay Times' Adam Smith.

This will be the first weekday primetime airing of a primary debate on a broadcast network in the 2012 election cycle. The event will air live on the NBC television network at 9pm ET / 8pm CT and on the west coast at 9pm PT, and will also stream live on nbcpolitics.com, nationaljournal.com, and tampabay.com. Telemundo will broadcast the debate in its entirety with simultaneous Spanish-language translation.