The third Democratic debate will take place tonight at 8 p.m. EST at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, and will be carried live on ABC and Univision.
All 10 candidates on stage tonight qualified by receiving 2% or higher support in at least four Democratic National Committee-approved polls and 130,000 donors from at least 20 different states. Here’s what to keep an eye out for:
1. Will former Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren attack each other?
Recent polling has shown the Massachusetts senator’s support by Democratic primary voters rapidly rising, with some surveys even showing her in a statistical tie with the former vice president. Their messages are very different: Warren is running as a liberal firebrand looking to restructure America’s economic system, whereas Biden wants to return to the certainty and familiarity of the Obama years. So far, the two have mostly ignored each other, save for a quick jab Warren took at Biden in April when she accused him of being “on the side of the credit card companies,” when discussing a piece of bankruptcy legislation in the 1990s.
2. Can Biden shrug off concerns about his age?
At 76, Biden would be the oldest person ever to be in White House — older when inaugurated than when Ronald Reagan left office. The last two debates have raised questions about his energy and mental fortitude. During the first debate in June, Biden abruptly cut off his own time when responding to a flurry of attacks from other candidates, and during the second round in July, he bungled his closer by telling voters to go to Joe30330, instead of “text Joe30330.”
3. Will Bernie Sanders and Warren abandon their detente?
A source close to the Vermont Senator’s campaign told the Washington Examiner that viewers shouldn’t expect much in terms of fireworks between the two, even as several polls have shown Warren passing him. Still, Sanders’ supporters are getting antsy about his lagging campaign and want him to take on Warren, who they view as a come-lately pretender to the platform he developed in 2016.
4. Can Kamala Harris come back?
After a momentary rise in her polling numbers following an emotionally-charged attack on Biden during the first Democratic debate, the California senator hasn’t been able to recapture that enthusiasm for her campaign. Her goal for tonight will be to attack her opponents without appearing cynical or desperate.
5. Can Klobuchar’s voice of moderation generate attention?
Of the 10 candidates who will be on the stage tonight, only the Minnesota senator has consistently warned against her party’s leftward turn. Whether it’s the issue of healthcare or the Green New Deal, Klobuchar has voiced concerns about how these ambitious plans will play out in a general election against Trump, or how they can get passed in Congress. But do Democratic voters care?
6. What is Andrew Yang plotting?
The campaign manager for the tech investor told reporters yesterday that Yang is planning on doing “something no presidential candidate has ever done in history” during the debate. He didn’t elaborate any further than that. So far, Yang hasn’t had many breakout moments during the debates or the campaign generally.
7. Will Beto O’Rourke keep swearing?
Following several mass shootings, the former Texas representative has taken up the mantle as an anti-gun crusader in the Democratic primary. Faced with poor performances in the polls, he’s begun using filthy language to capture both the attention of voters and the media. While he promised a Wisconsin voter he’d no longer drop any more F-bombs, he’s still got plenty more words to choose from.
8. Can Pete Buttigieg build on his record cash haul with a breakout moment?
No other candidate has raised more money than the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana. That cash, however, hasn’t translated into improved polling numbers. Sharing the stage with Biden and more seasoned lawmakers could help his pitch of generational change — or backfire and make him look like just another new kid on the block.
9. Will far-left policy positions damage the nominee against Trump?
A multi-trillion dollar Green New Deal. “Medicare for all” (including illegal immigrants). Open borders. Reparations. As more and more moderate candidates drop out or fail to make the debate stage, the Democratic candidates could feel even less concerned about alienating moderates. Who will dissent tonight? And who will warn Democrats that winning a primary is different than winning a general election?
10. Will any of underdogs break out?
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Obama Housing Secretary Julián Castro will all need to dramatically turn around their campaigns if they hope to break into the same tier as Warren, Sanders, or Biden. Will the debate tonight give them the opportunity? Or will any attempts at garnering attention just seem desperate?
