All eyes on New Hampshire as Democrats gather for debate before primary
With the chaos of the Iowa caucuses (mostly) in the rear-view mirror, the top candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination appear on stage tonight for a debate in New Hampshire four days before the Granite State holds the first-in-the-nation primary Tuesday.
New Hampshire could be the moment where Iowa’s top finishers – former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders – separate themselves from the pack. Or where Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden regain their footing after third and fourth places finishes in Iowa, respectively.
It could also mark the end of the line for Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Andrew Yang. Klobuchar out-performed her polling in Iowa but still walked away with only 1 national delegate. Yang left Iowa with 0.
Key milestone:A New Hampshire primary win is key for multiple Democrats. Here’s what we know
The three-hour debate begins at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on ABC from Saint Anselm College in Manchester.
Candidates show force in walk up to event space
Andrew Yang may be trailing distantly in the polls, but his campaign did turn out the most young enthusiasts on the two-lane road leading to Saint Anselm College, waving signs and encouraging drivers in passing cars to honk their support. No. 2 in the highway straw poll were Elizabeth Warren supporters, chanting “L! I! Z!” The presence required a certain amount of commitment, given the freezing rain that was falling. (It is New Hampshire, after all, and in February.)
The media filing center, set up in a gym, was set up with work spaces for 414 journalists, plus a dozen TV crews lined up along one wall.
— Susan Page
New Hampshire voters are independent in more ways than one
Democrats may not be the only New Hampshire voters paying close attention to tonight’s debate. The state allows independents – voters not registered as Democrats or Republicans – to participate in Tuesday’s primary. And “unaffilated” voters make up the biggest chunk of the electorate.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won independents in his 2016 primary race against Hillary Clinton. But more moderate candidates — like former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar – are targeting disaffected Republicans who’ve become independents. And outsider candidates like Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and entrepreneur Andrew Yang could also grab some of the independent vote away from Sanders this time.
Who will be on stage and what’s at stake
The candidates’ order on stage was determined not by the Iowa results but by averaging the results of polls taken nationally and in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
That put Biden in the center, flanked by Sanders and Warren. They’re sharing the stage with Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Yang and businessman Tom Steyer.
Yang, who was absent from the Iowa debate last month, met the qualifications for New Hampshire which included polling and donor thresholds.
More:In New Hampshire primary, could Pete Buttigieg end Joe Biden’s 50-year political career?
Moderators include George Stephanopoulos, “World News Tonight” Anchor, ABC Managing Editor David Muir and ABC News Live Anchor Linsey Davis. Joining them will be WMUR-TV Political Director Adam Sexton and WMUR-TV News Anchor Monica Hernandez.
The focus on New Hampshire could be welcome news for Democrats who saw the Senate acquit President Donald Trump Wednesday and watched as Iowa’s caucuses disintegrated into confusion following multiple issues that delayed election results.