Daily Caller, conservative orgs to host GOP presidential debate

The conservative Daily Caller news site and two conservative nonprofit organizations will hold a Republican presidential primary debate this summer during the Conservative Leadership Conference in Las Vegas.

Daily Caller founder and Editor-in-Chief Tucker Carlson will moderate the July 10 debate, according to a press statement. Americans for Tax Reform and the Citizen Outreach Foundation will co-host.

Daily Caller publisher Neil Patel said Republican presidential hopefuls would be forced to give "real answers" to economic questions.

"Our debate will ensure that anyone who wants to be the Republican nominee will be pushed in a tough but fair way to give real answers to the major pending fiscal questions facing our great country," Patel said.

The announcement comes a day after NBC News and Politico announced that their jointly sponsored debate, scheduled for May, has been postponed until September because most of the potential Republican field has been slow to jump into the race so far.

Although a number of prominent Republicans have shown serious interest in running for president in 2012, only a few have taken formal steps. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) recently formed an exploratory committee, and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said she would decide on whether to form one by this summer.

Other potential GOP contenders include former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. None has yet announced plans to form an exploratory committee.