When is Tuesday night’s debate? Who is in it? Where can you watch the debate, and what should you watch for?
This week’s Democratic debate will be the last before Super Tuesday, the day when most states hold primary elections and more than a third of the Democratic Party’s delegates are awarded. It will take place in Charleston, South Carolina, from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. EST and will be broadcast live on CBS and BET. CBS News’s Norah O’Donnell, Gayle King, Margaret Brennan, Major Garrett, and Bill Whitaker will host.
Seven candidates qualified for Tuesday’s debate: Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, Amy Klobuchar, and Elizabeth Warren.
None of these candidates is likely to drop out before Super Tuesday’s delegates are awarded. This means the stakes are high for the candidates still lagging behind Sanders, who is now the Democratic front-runner.
So, here’s what to look for:
- Biden’s offensive strategy. The former vice president needs to win South Carolina in order to survive Super Tuesday. This means he needs to put as much distance as possible between himself and the other candidates. This won’t be easy — the other candidates will be looking to undermine his favorability among African American voters, and they could use his past comments on civil rights to do so.
- Bloomberg’s second chance. The former New York City mayor had a disastrous first showing during last week’s debate. He appeared unprepared and helpless, and the result was a significant drop in the polls. Tuesday’s debate is his chance to undo some of the damage. He will undoubtedly face more questions about his past stop-and-frisk policies, and he will need to provide concise, understandable answers that engage rather than put off African American voters.
- Sanders’s victory lap. The Vermont senator is the candidate to beat. He dominated Nevada’s caucus, taking home more than 40% of the vote. Add that to his New Hampshire win and his tie in Iowa with Buttigieg, and it’s clear Sanders has the political momentum necessary to sweep Super Tuesday. Still, Sanders needs to answer the question of electability. Many of the centrist candidates are worried a Bernie Sanders candidacy could isolate swing-state voters. Sanders has yet to offer a strong argument in his favor besides the assertion, “I can beat Trump.”
The race continues to narrow the candidate field, and Super Tuesday will aid that process. Sanders’s lead is growing, and many of these campaigns’ bank accounts are running dry. This debate won’t change much, but it is one last opportunity for the candidates to prove that they’re in this for the long haul.
