First Democratic debate offers struggling
candidates a chance to shine
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[June 26, 2019]
By James Oliphant
MIAMI (Reuters) - The first Democratic
presidential debate on Wednesday will give contenders struggling to
break through in the crowded field an opportunity to step out of the
shadow cast by front-runners Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, who take the
stage a day later.
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is gaining strength in opinion polls,
will be the headliner of the opening night in Miami. She will be joined
onstage by nine other candidates, including U.S. Senators Cory Booker
and Amy Klobuchar and former U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke.
Booker, Klobuchar and O’Rourke have had their moments during the first
few months in the battle for the 2020 Democratic nomination. But they
have not broken through to mount a serious challenge to the top
contenders, making Wednesday's debate a chance to grab some of the
limelight.
O’Rourke’s travails come perhaps as the biggest surprise. On the heels
of his underdog 2018 run for the U.S. Senate in Texas that made him a
national figure, his entry into the presidential race was met with a
crush of media coverage. But he has steadily dropped in polls and needs
to right the ship.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2019/Jun/26/images/ads/current/farmers_bank_sda_prom_050614.png)
Booker enjoyed time in the public eye last week when he slammed Biden
for remarks the former vice president made at a fundraiser describing
his work with segregationists decades ago in the Senate. The debate
offers Booker, a senator from New Jersey, his best chance yet to
introduce himself to Democratic voters unfamiliar with him.
The same can be said of Klobuchar, a senator from Minnesota who may be
best known for her snowy campaign launch in February. She has mostly
concentrated on neighboring Iowa, which holds the first nominating
contest next year in the race to take on Republican President Donald
Trump in the 2020 election.
Former U.S. Housing Secretary Julian Castro, New York Mayor Bill de
Blasio, former congressman John Delaney, U.S. Representative Tulsi
Gabbard, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee and U.S. Representative
Tim Ryan will also be on the stage. They all fall below 1% nationally in
opinion polls and will be looking mainly to fight another day.
With 10 Democrats attending the two-hour debate, each candidate will
only have 60 seconds to answer a question and 30 seconds to respond to a
follow-up, making each response critical.
WARREN SURGING
The night is crucial for Warren, a senator from Massachusetts looking to
build on her recent momentum. A steady stream of progressive policy
proposals and her near nonstop campaigning have siphoned some left-wing
support from Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, and made her a threat
for the nomination.
But she needs to broaden her appeal to the mainstream Democratic Party
to make a run at Biden, who retains a commanding polling lead.
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![](../images/062619pics/news_b5.jpg)
The line up of U.S. Democratic presidential candidates who will
participate in the party's first of two nights of debate in Miami on
June 26, 2019, in a combination file photos (L-R top row): U.S.
Senators Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Former U.S.
Representative Beto O'Rourke, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
(L-R bottom row): Former U.S. Representative John Delaney, U.S.
Representatives Tim Ryan, Tulsi Gabbard, former HUD Secretary Julian
Castro, and Gov. Jay Inslee. REUTERS/Files/File Photo
![](../images/ads/current/fitzpatrick_lda_SPONSOR_2017.png)
Warren’s surge may make her a target on Wednesday, particularly from
some of the moderates on stage. Even though Biden will not be
present, his front-runner status will likely draw some flak as well.
The overriding question for both nights of debates is how fiercely
Democrats will attack one another, rather than training their fire
on Trump.
The president said last week he might tweet his reactions live
during the first Democratic debate, which will take place as he
flies aboard Air Force One to Osaka, Japan, for a G20 summit, and a
visit to South Korea.
"Having these 20 Democrats on live television tell America what they
believe is the best commercial for the president’s re-election that
we could ask for," said Tim Murtaugh, communications director for
the Trump campaign.
Alex Conant, a top aide to Republican presidential candidate Marco
Rubio in 2016, said Democrats onstage would have to be prepared for
moderators to confront them with a Trump tweet in real time.
“If they fail to counterpunch, their campaign might be over,” Conant
said.
It may be difficult for the Democratic candidates to distinguish
themselves on areas of policy such as healthcare, immigration and
climate change, where there seems to be broad agreement among the
presidential field.
The danger for the candidates is “everyone stands there and mimics
each other” and no one leaps out from the pack, said Alan Schroeder,
an expert on presidential debates and a professor emeritus at
Northeastern University.
Schroeder said the sheer number of contenders would make it
difficult for them and for viewers trying to sort out the field.
“It’s not an ideal situation for anyone," he said.
The Miami debates on Wednesday and Thursday are sponsored by NBC,
MSNBC and Telemundo. NBC News personalities Savannah Guthrie, Lester
Holt, Rachel Maddow and Chuck Todd and NBC and Telemundo anchor Jose
Diaz-Balart will serve as moderators.
(Reporting by James Oliphant; Additional reporting by Steve Holland;
Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Peter Cooney)
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