Can Another Democrat Grab the Spotlight?

Rick Klein: “Hillary Clinton will be center stage. But that doesn’t mean the spotlight can’t find someone else. Democrats are coming in to their first debate of the election cycle with not one but two leading candidates, both with significant things to prove. In the expectation for combat that may not materialize, consider that it’s Bernie Sanders who is trailing in the race nationally; Sanders who will have to defend base-critical views on guns and immigration; Sanders who will see his temperament and agility tested like it hasn’t been before, with this kind of audience watching.”

“It’s also plausible strategy for a Martin O’Malley or a Jim Webb to target Sanders more than Clinton, based on the theory that the race will come down to Hillary vs. an anti-Hillary, and one of those slots is already taken for good. And from the other perspective, if Sanders’ goal is to win the nomination, not simply make the considerable statement he’s already made, he needs some fresh dynamics to come into play. He won’t get many better chances to put them there.”