LAS VEGAS — For the first time since her campaign launched six months ago, Hillary Clinton will be on a level playing field with the other Democrats running for the nomination, as she stands next to them at the party’s first presidential debate on Tuesday.
Until now, the Democratic front-runner has made an effort to downplay the other candidates and even avoid mentioning their names when possible. But there she will be on stage with Bernie Sanders, her main rival for the nomination, along with Martin O’Malley, Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee, all of whom will be looking for attention. And then there is Joe Biden, the man who won’t be there.
The Democrats have promised to keep the debate as civil as possible and CNN’s moderator Anderson Cooper stated that he was against the “notion of setting people up in order to kind of promote some sort of a face-off.”
The controversy over Clinton’s use private email server while secretary of state has cast a shadow over her campaign. But she continues to lead in the polls outside of New Hampshire and her Democratic opponents have hesitated to attack her. She is an experienced debater who went head to head with Barack Obama in 26 debates during the 2008 primaries.
If all goes well for Clinton, this debate will be an opportunity to talk to a national audience about something besides emails — assuming the rest of the field doesn’t focus on trying to bring her down.
Sanders has achieved national media fame by positioning himself to the left of Clinton on economics. He is also attracting large crowds on the campaign trail and he now leads Clinton in New Hampshire. The Vermont senator may try Tuesday night to reach beyond his white progressive base and engage the minority voters he’ll need to actually threaten Clinton’s nomination.
“If he goes into this debate making the people who love Bernie Sanders love him more he’s just going to end up standing still,” Democratic strategist Joe Trippi told the Washington Examiner. “If he goes into the debate trying to introduce himself in a way that makes people open to seeing him as the nominee, he’ll do well.”
Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor, has been the most willing to call out the Democratic establishment, especially on the subject of debates. But he’s also come the closest to questioning Clinton’s political record and scandals. He hasn’t gained much traction, but he’s more likely to stay on the offensive than to simply abandon his criticism.
“I think it’s an opportunity to introduce himself and make his case. This fight has just begun. And now here’s a chance to talk with a broader audience,” O’Malley press secretary Hayley Morris told the Examiner. “The hope would be that the Democratic debate engages the participation and attention that the Republican debate was able to do.”
Carly Fiorina is one lesser-known candidate who benefited from millions tuning into the first two Republican debates. Those on stage not named Clinton or Sanders can only hope to get similar benefits. Lincoln Chafee and Jim Webb are former Republicans polling at less than 1 percent. But have both managed to appeal to liberals in statewide races in the past, with Webb winning a Senate race in Virginia and Chafee serving as both senator and governor in Rhode Island. Both opposed the Iraq war from the beginning, unlike Clinton.
The possibility of Vice President Joe Biden entering the race will loom over the debate. His entry could knock Clinton from 58 percent of the national Democratic vote to about 40 percent, assuming his entry doesn’t cause his own numbers to improve significantly. Clinton supporters insist they aren’t worried.
“The whole planet is looking for someone else [and she’s still ahead],” Trippi said. “Is this as a weakness of hers? No, that just shows you how strong she is.”
