AJC in New Hampshire: Hillary Clinton to try to close 'enthusiasm gap' at Thursday's debate

Durham, N.H. – Just three days after Hillary Clinton's razor-thin victory over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Iowa, the candidates clash again Thursday at 9 p.m. in New Hampshire in a debate just recently added to the schedule.

Sanders, who was flirting with skipping the event, may have the most to lose with his double-digit margin over Clinton in polls ahead of the Feb. 9 primary here. Expect Clinton to come out firing, eager to shift the narrative after Sanders declared Iowa a virtual tie.

Here’s a few things to watch:

Clinton's enthusiasm gap. The storyline out of the Republican race in Iowa was Donald Trump's failure to translate enthusiasm to votes, but the same could not be said on the other side of the ticket. Sanders attracted droves of young first-time voters attracted by his message of government expansion, broader healthcare coverage and free higher education. Exit polls in Iowa showed a roughly 70 percent gap between Sanders and Clinton among voters between the ages of 17 and 29. That's a huge problem for the former secretary of state, who will likely aim to try to get younger voters more engaged with her campaign tonight.

An eye on the South: With the first caucus in the rear view mirror and a slate of other votes over the next month, more voters are tuning in. That means both Sanders and Clinton are likely to tailor their pitch beyond New Hampshire and toward the largely black Democratic electorate in South Carolina, which votes Feb. 27, and Georgia and other Southern states that hold their primaries on March 1. Watch to see how each candidate tries to broaden their appeal.

More airtime. With former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley out of the race – he withdrew on Monday after a dismal showing in Iowa – the two remaining contenders will have more time to answer, and more opportunity to clash, on the University of New Hampshire stage.