What to Watch for During the Fourth Democratic Presidential Debate

In the News

The next Democratic presidential debate takes place October 15 in Westerville, Ohio. Josh Sanders, partner with Calfee’s Government Relations practice group, highlights three things to watch for:

1. Does someone have a breakout moment?

The Democrats continue to have a crowded field and even with more restrictive qualifications, 12 candidates will be on the stage. Can any of the top tier ones (Biden, Sanders, Warren) further distance themselves or does someone from the “pack” have a performance that vaults them into serious contention.

2. Do the candidates focus on President Trump, or try to contrast themselves with others on the stage?

These past two weeks have been dominated by impeachment and the growing Ukrainian issue. While all will use some of their time to attack the actions of the President, viewers should watch to see if all come to the defense of Vice President Biden . There are some pundits who believe that these two weeks have hurt Vice President Biden and will other candidates see this as an opportunity to knock him out of front runner status.

3. Who is the next to exit?

Someone will leave the debate knowing their time running for President is over. We probably won’t know till the next day but viewers should be paying attention to which candidates don’t get asked questions or have little air time.