The debate, held at the Wynn Las Vegas, will begin at 5:30 p.m. and be televised on CNN.
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Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. talks to the media before…
Hillary Clinton declared during the Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday evening that America must sometimes “save capitalism from itself”. The billionaire businessman wasn’t on stage Tuesday, but will still have a major role in the Democratic debate as the candidates are sure to blast him.
Four of the five candidates – all but former Senator Jim Webb of Virginia – explicitly mentioned climate change in their introductory remarks.
Clinton is keen to inject a few excitement into her campaign and show she can rally the Democratic base from now into next year, while Sanders must test whether his “political revolution” can translate to the national stage.
Clinton said in the debate that when she looked at the final agreement last week, “it didn’t meet my standards”. “I’m a progressive, but I’m a progressive who likes to get things done”, she said. “This is a issue of American credibility”, he said.
The spotlight therefore is likely to be on Clinton and Sanders.
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.
Mrs Clinton and Mr Sanders have mostly avoided direct criticism of each other in contrast to the raucous Republican field. When asked how her administration would differ from President Barack Obama’s, she said with a smile, “Being the first woman president would be quite a change”.
Despite the Biden speculation, the Democratic primary has lacked the drama of the Republican contest and the unexpected rise of Donald Trump.
It was inevitable that Clinton would get a question about her private email server. The real estate mogul still made his presence known Tuesday night, sending a torrent of Twitter commentary on the Democrats’ performances. She went on to defend the evolution of her position. Clinton said her email use “wasn’t the best choice” and cast the issue as a politically motivated effort by Republicans to drive down her poll numbers.
The CNN debate moderator then addressed Lincoln Chafee, who said, “we have to fix American credibility”.
Chafee further said in his August comments, “I think it’s a big deal”.
Indeed, Clinton has increasingly moved to the left on domestic policy since announcing her campaign this spring, including voicing opposition to the Keystone XL oil pipeline and support for expanded gun control legislation.
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Julie Pace reported from Washington.
