After a race in Iowa that was nearly as close as you can get, and a town hall meeting where both claimed the title of “progressive,” former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.), will meet face-to-face Thursday night in a debate in New Hampshire.
The tone of the campaigns of the two remaining candidates for the Democratic nomination for president, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley dropped out of the race, have sharpened some, with Sanders questioning Clinton’s claim she is a progressive candidate and she saying she will protect Obamacare from Sanders’ plans to “start over” with health care reform.
The debate was not on the original Democratic debate schedule. It was proposed by NBC and Clinton agreed then had to talk Sanders into joining her. Since then, the Democratic National Committee has sanctioned the event, something Democratic National chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz had vowed not to do.
Here’s a quick look at how and what to watch for in Thursday’s debate
When: Thursday, Feb. 4
Where: Durham, N.H.
What time: Pre-debate coverage starts at 8 p.m. (ET) on MSNBC. The debate starts at 9 p.m. (ET)
Hosted by: MSNBC
Airs on: The debate airs on MSNBC which you can find on channel 356 on DirecTV; 209 on Dish Network; 215 on AT&T U-verse
Live stream: The debate will be streamed live here.
Moderators: Chuck Todd, host of "Meet the Press," and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow will moderate the debate.
Who's in: With Martin O'Malley bowing out of the race, it's Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who will debate Thursday. Below are links to their websites.
Likely issues:
While we don't know for sure, the likely issues to be raised in the debate include:
1. The Iowa caucuses – Clinton once had a commanding lead there, but ended up barely squeaking by Sanders.
2. Big money – Who is donating to which campaign; Sanders says Clinton will be beholding to big-money donors if she wins.
3. National security – Clinton says she is the one, and only one, with the national security experience the country needs
4. Taxes – Sanders says he will raise taxes to give everyone free health care, but that you’ll save more money in the end because the taxes will be less than health care premiums.
5. Health care – See No. 4
When's the next one:
The next Republican debate is Saturday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. (ET). It will be held at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. It is sponsored by ABC News and the IJReview. David Muir and Martha Raddatz are the moderators.
The next Democratic debate will be on Feb. 11, at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. It will be hosted by the Public Broadcasting System and be moderated by Gwin Ifill and Judy Woodruff. It will begin at 9 p.m. (ET).
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