Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will debate in Milwaukee on Thursday, just two days after the Vermont senator's dominating win in the New Hampshire primary. That victory unearthed fresh concerns from Clinton supporters about her vulnerabilities – and reminded everyone that the Democratic race is far from over.
The debate airs Thursday night at 9 p.m. and will be simulcast on CNN and PBS.
Here are a few things to watch:
A revamped campaign. It will be the first chance for voters to hear Clinton's retooled message after she was trounced in New Hampshire. The depth of her support among young voters – exit polls showed Sanders beat her by a nearly 70-point margin among voters 18-29 – is particularly concerning to her supporters. "I know I have some work to do, particularly with young people," she said in her concession speech. "But I will repeat again what I have said this week: Even if they are not supporting me now, I support them." For Sanders, it's an advantage he hopes to press ahead of the sweep of votes in Georgia and other states on March 1.
An appeal to minorities. The former secretary of state hopes to bounce back with wins in contests this month in Nevada and South Carolina, where her advisers believe a largely minority Democratic electorate will fuel victories. And polling so far agrees, showing her with large advantages with Hispanics and black voters key to each state. But Sanders hopes to punctuate his case to minorities, and tonight he will have a nationally-televised forum to do just that. Look for both to talk about criminal justice reforms and new restrictions on racial profiling.
The gloves will stay off? Last week's debate in New Hampshire was the sharpest yet, with Clinton assailing Sanders' policies as doomed-too-fail in a divided Congress while he painted her as a tool of the Wall Street elite. With the first two votes behind them, Clinton is likely to reinforce her message that she's the keeper of President Barack Obama's flame – and that Sanders' calls for a "revolution" risks unraveling some of his biggest accomplishments. The Vermont senator may counter with new assaults on her record, including a vote his campaign highlighted last week in favor of bankruptcy rules sought by the finance industry.
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