CHARLESTON -- It’s one of the most repeated assertions of the run up to the July 23 Democratic presidential candidate’s debate—that the high-profile appearance of the Democratic field led by Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards will have an economic impact approaching $30 million.

The justification for such an estimate?

A statement attributed to the Orangeburg Chamber of Commerce in advance of the April 26 Democratic candidate debate at South Carolina State University, regarding the potential impact of the debate on that mid-state community.

However, Orangeburg Chamber President David L. Coleman largely disavowed that assessment, contending that it was based on the assertion of a reporter working on a story about the debate and was never based on any kind of analysis done by the business organization.

“Make no mistake, the Democratic debate was very good for Orangeburg, for S.C. State University and the state of South Carolina as a whole … it was wonderful publicity,” Coleman told the Charleston Regional Business Journal, sister publication of SCBIZ.

“But as far as translating the impact into dollars—either before or after the event—that’s something that would be very difficult to do and something we’ve never undertaken,” he said.

As the city of Charleston and The Citadel begin to prepare in earnest for their debate-related close-ups Monday night courtesy of CNN and YouTube, estimates and tangible expenditure figures are about as elusive as the Ark of the Covenant.

The S.C. Law Enforcement Division declined to comment on manpower and budget allocations related to the debate, citing security concerns, while the city of Charleston did not respond to requests for comment.

Mara Gassmann, a spokeswoman for CNN, also declined to comment, saying the network never comments on the costs associated with its programs.