Skip to main content

On the eve of the first Democratic presidential debate, Bernie Sanders is closing in on Ms. Clinton in national polls. He is attracting huge crowds at rallies, generating excitement that has eluded Ms. Clinton and recently raised almost the same amount of money as the Democratic front-runner

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders was never supposed to be a threat to Hillary Clinton's presidential bid. But the 74-year old socialist from Vermont is just that.

On the eve of the first Democratic presidential debate, Mr. Sanders is closing in on Ms. Clinton in national polls. He is attracting huge crowds at rallies, generating excitement that has eluded Ms. Clinton and recently raised almost the same amount of money as the Democratic front-runner.

Tuesday's debate will be the first time Mr. Sanders will be on the national stage. It could potentially be a break-out moment for the Independent senator, who needs to expand beyond his base of mostly young white liberals to win the Democratic party's nomination for president.

"He will be seen by many for the first time," said Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic political consultant. "Sanders has the most to gain and Clinton has the most to lose."

The debate, hosted by CNN, will be held in Las Vegas. Nevada is one of the few states that swing between Democrats and Republicans and it has a large Hispanic population – a key constituency for both Democrats and Republicans.

When Mr. Sanders launched his campaign in April, he was virtually a nonentity compared with Ms. Clinton.

The former secretary of state has been in the limelight for decades: as first lady when her husband, Bill Clinton, served as president; as a New York senator; and then as America's top diplomat under President Barack Obama.

Mr. Sanders is a former member of the socialist Liberty Union Party; a former mayor of Burlington, Vt.; and a long-time fringe lawmaker in Congress.

But over the past few months, voters have flocked to purported outsiders like Mr. Sanders. On the Republican side, real-estate mogul Donald Trump, neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina all command strong support compared to well-known Republicans like Jeb Bush.

It doesn't seem to matter that Mr. Sanders has spent 25 years in Congress, he is seen as fresh and authentic. His dishevelled look and lengthy speeches are taken as genuine compared to Ms. Clinton's poise and accomplishments. Mr. Sanders has also benefited from Ms. Clinton's baggage – her use of a private e-mail service while secretary of state is the latest scandal to hurt her credibility.

It looks like Mr. Sanders plans to use his anti-establishment status at the debate to set himself apart from Ms. Clinton and other Democratic rivals: former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley; former Virginia senator Jim Webb; and former Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee.

On the weekend, Mr. Sanders's campaign highlighted his vote in 2002 against the Iraq War, which Ms. Clinton supported when she served as New York Senator. The congressional approval gave then president George W. Bush the authority to invade Iraq. But the war is now seen as a mistake by most liberals and Ms. Clinton's support is thought to be one of the reasons she failed to clinch her party's nomination during her first presidential bid in 2008.

It is unclear what will happen to Mr. Sanders's support if Vice-President Joe Biden decides to jump into the race for his party's nomination.

Mainstream Democrats do not believe Mr. Sanders can go beyond the ultraprogressive wing of their party, which any Democratic candidate will need to do to win in the general election.

Ms. Clinton has won dozens of endorsements from Democratic members of Congress and top officials in the Obama administration to key players in the Democratic party.

Mr. Sanders recently won his first congressional endorsement from a relatively unknown lawmaker – Arizona Representative Raul Grijalva.

"Sanders needs to show that he can do more than just rile up the crowds of true believers, that he is a plausible nominee for a major political party," said Matt Bennett, who worked on Mr. Clinton's two presidential campaigns. "That is likely too high a bar for him to clear," Mr. Bennett added.

Nevertheless, Mr. Sanders is pulling in contributions from a wide group of people – critical grassroots' support that propelled Mr. Obama's win over Ms. Clinton during the 2008 race for their party's nomination.

During the last three months, Mr. Sanders raised $26-million (U.S.) almost as much as Ms. Clinton's $28-million.

Mr. Sanders needs funds and momentum to carry him through the primary season early next year. The debate may just well help him.

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Interact with The Globe