GOP candidates for the 2010 gubernatorial slot in California are taking a very modern step forward tomorrow.

On Wednesday, October 28th at 7:00pm (Pacific), Steve Poizner will be participating in what we believe to be the first ever candidate Twitter debate.

This is a great step in the right direction for Republicans at a time when we are seeking to expand our message and make inroads into the world of modern media.

Here's what Steve Poizner had to say about tomorrow's Twitter debate and what it means for modern Republican communication:

There is no doubt that we need to grow the Republican Party and engaging new and young voters through social media outlets like Twitter is an excellent start.  I’m honored to join Tom Campbell tomorrow night for what may be the first ever candidate 'Twitter Debate,' where we will respond to questions submitted via Twitter as well as questions from Dan Walters and other panelists.  I want to encourage all California voters to watch the debate live on television or online and share your thoughts throughout the night on Twitter.  We need to make California the innovation capital of the world again, and Brandman University’s unique debate is a step in the right direction with an innovative way to connect voters with California's gubernatorial candidates.

A portion of the questions that will be posed to both candidates on “Solutions to the California Financial Crisis” have been submitted through Twitter using the hashtag #cadebate.

The debate can be viewed online tomorrow at: www.brandman.edu/cadebate/webcast

You can also follow @StevePoizner and @TeamPoizner for live updates throughout the debate including tweets, pictures and video. 

Matt Lewis over at Townhall.com sums up a recent "victory" for Fred Thompson well (and even offers some free advice to Rudy Giuliani that could help prevent this is the future):

To sum it up Thompson grasping the power of New Media put Giuliani on the defensive. Team Rudy's reaction was like what campaigns did in 1988. Back then a reporter would write a story about one candidate attacking another. The next day, the target would trot out their spokesman to make a statement. In 2007 that dynamic has changed. Now, a candidate (or proto-candidate in Thompson's case) can create buzz simply by publishing a weblog post. Opposing candidates can't be flat-footed. The result? Glenn Reynolds declared Fred the victor in this clash. Some of that came from the substance of Thompson's argument, some from the weakness of the Giuliani team's response, and some from nature of the response itself.

If the Giuliani campaign had a weblog of their own they could have offered a response to Fred faster than waiting for a reporter to write up something from a quote passed onto them. What would have been even better was if Rudy released a video response (I felt the same way when the IAFF attacked Rudy in a video, but he responded with a press release). Giuliani is a telegenic man. Standing up to Rep. Ron Paul in the first GOP debates showed he knows how to use television to create a dramatic presence. A two-minute video posted to the Giuliani website would have reinforced his image as a forceful leader. A great video posted to YouTube could have gone viral turning the story into how Rudy played New Media jiu-jitsu all over Fred.

Team Rudy didn't take advantage of the technology at hand. They played this like it was three campaign life cycles ago. The old-school, top-down, send-out-the-spokeman approach only reinforces the authoritarian image some skeptics already have of Giuliani. In this instance we see Fred Thompson trusting New Media while Rudy Giuliani can't take that leap of faith.