By wplog

Published Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007 | 10:38 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008 | 12:45 p.m.

Las Vegas will get another chance to bask in the national glow of televised presidential politics.

The Nevada Democratic Party announced today that a second Democratic presidential debate will be coming to the Silver State next month — just four days before the Jan. 19 Nevada Caucuses.

The state party will team up with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and IMPACTO (which is affiliated with the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce), 100 Black Men of America and the College of Southern Nevada to hold a debate on minority population issues on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008, in Las Vegas.

The debate will be televised live by MSNBC from 6 to 8 p.m. PST from the Cashman Center in Las Vegas.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., applauded NBC and MSNBC for televising the event.

"Nevada will play a critical role in the selection of our nominee as the first test in the West and the first test of the Hispanic vote," Reid said in prepared remarks released by the party. Reid has said he expects 100,000 voters to participate in the Jan. 19 caucuses, which follow the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3 and the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 8 .

The Jan. 15 debate has been in the works for some time. The Executive Committee of the African American Democratic Leadership Council has been working since last January to finalize a debate highlighting issues important to the state's minorities.

One of the reasons Nevada was chosen as an early state in the presidential sweepstakes is because 40 percent of the state's residents are minorities, mainly Hispanic and African-American.

Democrats held a presidential debate Nov. 15 at UNLV.

— Dave Toplikar is the new media managing editor for the Las Vegas Sun.