The Democratic Party’s presidential candidates are on stage for the first campaign debate, with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders set to clash for the first time face to face after months of launching implied attacks at a distance.
The White House hopefuls are in Las Vegas at the Wynn hotel and casino for one of just six Democratic debates slated before the party chooses a nominee.
This showdown, sponsored by CNN and Facebook, offers an important opportunity for Clinton to pivot from a challenging summer, which saw her poll numbers tumble amid the controversy over her private email server while she served as secretary of state. Sanders, meanwhile, is seeking to appeal to a wider audience of Democrats beyond those who have flocked in the thousands to his events in early-voting states such as Iowa, where he is polling just behind Clinton, and in New Hampshire, where he is leading in several surveys.
Clinton holds a commanding lead nationally despite Sanders’ strong performance in the early states.
Three other candidates — former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley — are on stage with Clinton and Sanders. Their campaigns are languishing in the single digits, making it vital for them to use the debate to create the buzz needed to keep going.
Republicans have already held two fiery debates dominated by the presence of Donald Trump. The billionaire businessman won’t be on stage Tuesday but will still have a major role in the Democratic debate as the candidates are sure to blast him.
Trump, meanwhile, has pledged to live-tweet during what he predicted will be a “very boring” debate, which could create an unwelcome distraction for candidates trying to get their message out.
He started tweeting before the debate even began, bemoaning the fact that three lower-polling candidates will get so much time.
“But who knows, maybe a star will be born (unlikely),” he wrote. “We will all have fun and hopefully learn something tonight. I will shoot straight and call it as I see it, both the good and the bad. Enjoy!”
The event could be less heated than the previous GOP clashes — Sanders is swearing off any personal attacks on Clinton — but it will still include moments of confrontation over how to best address the nation’s future.
The candidates were behind five debate podiums — but there could have been six.
Vice President Joe Biden is still agonizing over whether to jump into the race even at this late stage and spent the weekend going over his options with his family in Delaware. But he didn’t announce a decision in time to join the debate.
Sanders was joined at the debate by his wife, Jane, and two of his children, Levy and David.
Former President Bill Clinton planned to watch his wife’s performance on television, though he did arrive in Las Vegas on Monday with the former secretary of state.
And in a reminder of the stakes facing Democrats desperate to hold the White House, the crowd was shown a taped message from President Barack Obama before the debate began.
The President recalled the hard-fought primary in 2008, and the video highlighted his legacy, including health care reform and the push for same-sex marriage.
“We are going to have to fight just as hard in this election, as we did in the last two … that is why I am still fired up and I am still ready to go,” Obama said, repeating a 2008 campaign mantra.