Who Benefits from the Democratic Debate Lineup?

Aaron Blake: “The biggest takeaway is obviously that the two leading candidates in most polls — Biden and Sanders — will be featured on that same night. That’s also interesting because Sanders has telegraphed more of a desire to take on Biden directly than most of the other top candidates. Both men possibly see the other as their biggest obstacle to the Democratic nomination, and the interplay between the two will be the early focus.”

“But also consider what this means for Warren. She has been rising in the polls more than anybody, and now she can be the focal point of the debate on June 26. If we lump her in with Biden and Sanders in the top tier, the middle-tier candidates in her debate also seem less likely to go after her. Booker has always focused on running positive campaigns, and Klobuchar is hardly a brawler.”

FiveThirtyEight: “What implications will these lopsided lineups have for the debates and the candidates in them? We don’t really know right now, but it may mean the Thursday debate, with more heavy hitters, will get higher ratings. On the other hand, being in the Wednesday debate might be advantageous for a less-popular candidate because they will now have more of a chance to step out of the front-runners’ shadows.”