The presidential candidates will debate on the Wake Forest campus on Oct. 11, a Wednesday. The other presidential debates are scheduled for Oct. 3 at the University of Massachusetts in Boston and Oct. 17 at Washington University in St. Louis.

The one vice-presidential debate will be held Oct. 5 at Centre College in Danville, Ky.

N.C. HOUSE DEBATE: The Rowan County Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a debate for N.C. House District 35 candidates Lorene Coates and Charlotte Gardner from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24, a Tuesday, at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

The debate will be held in Room 251 of the Richard L. Brownell Building on the college campus.

House District 35 encompasses about half (23 precincts) of Rowan County. Gardner, a Republican, is running for her ninth term. Coates, the Democratic nominee, is seeking public office for the first time.

PAC ENDORSES GARDNER: North Carolina’s Merchants Political Action Committee (MPAC) has endorsed Gardner in her re-election bid. A Gardner press release says the endorsement recognizes her awareness and strong support for retail issues.

MPAC is the political action committee formed by N.C. Retail Merchants to endorse candidates for the General Assembly. The merchants association has more than 25,000 member stores in the state.

Retail business in North Carolina represents an $85-billion industry and employs more than 600,000 people. It contributed more than $3 billion to the state’s general fund last year through collection of sales and use taxes.

DRUG MONEY: The Center for Responsive Politics says U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C., ranks sixth among 435 U.S. House members in political contributions he has received from the pharmaceutical industry.

The center’s analysis included campaign contributions from individuals and political action committees aligned with the drug industry during the present election cycle. Coble’s contributions totaled $35,250.

For the 2000 election, Coble’s 6th District includes much of Rowan County.

PUSHING CUNNINGHAM: At the recent Rowan Democratic picnic, state Sen. Jim Phillips and U.S. Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., downplayed any concerns about Cal Cunningham’s age. Cunningham, a Lexington Democrat, is 27 and running for the N.C. Senate District 23 seat that the retiring Phillips held until now.

“I don’t think he’s gullible, by any means,” said Phillips, wearing a Cunningham sticker.

“We’ve really got to rally around him and save that seat for the Democratic Party,” Watt added. “If we can get him in this first time, he will prove his mettle, just like Jim Phillips.”

Interestingly, Watt faces a 24-year-old opponent, Republican Chad Mitchell of Faith, in his own bid for re-election this fall. (Mitchell will be the mandatory 25 years old by Election Day.)

JUDGING ROWAN: Attorney Richard Huffman of Salisbury reports that N.C. Supreme Court Justice Henry Frye of Greensboro and N.C. Appeals Court Justice James A. Wynn of Cary, both Democrats, will attend a political fund-raiser in their honor on Oct. 19 in Rowan County.