CHARLESTON, S.C. – Just six days ago, Democratic White House hopefuls squared off in the most dramatic debate of the election. They'll have an even deeper sense of urgency to score points and earn votes at what could be an even testier confrontation Tuesday in Charleston.
No one has more to prove than former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, a billionaire who was clobbered from the opening moments of the debate debut and never regained his footing.
The focus on toppling Bloomberg left U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders relatively unscathed, and he rode a wave of support to a dominating victory in Saturday’s Nevada caucuses. Now the unquestioned front-runner, Tuesday’s debate might be one of the last chances for his more moderate rivals to stop him.
Sanders seized leader-of-the-pack status from former Vice President Joe Biden, who was largely ignored during stretches of last week’s debate. After a second-place finish in Nevada, he’s staking his campaign on a victory in South Carolina, where he’s held narrowing leads in the polls.
The other four candidates on the stage, too, face desperate scenarios. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren had her most forceful debate performance last week, often shaping the two-hour event, but she’s needs another strong night to revive her stagnating campaign.
So are former Mayor Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, two mainstream candidates who engaged in a bitter back-and-forth in Las Vegas as each tried to define themselves as an alternative to Biden and Bloomberg.
They’ll be joined this time by Tom Steyer, another billionaire who has unleashed his spending power in South Carolina to finance one of the larger teams of operatives in the state and a blizzard of advertising none of his opponents can match.
The pressure is mounting. It’s not only the final debate before Saturday’s first-in-the-South primary in the Palmetto State, it’s also the last showdown before Super Tuesday on March 3 – when 14 states pick their nominees.
The debate will air on CBS at 8 p.m. Here are a few things to watch:
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Bloomberg’s second chance
The debate last week in Las Vegas was Bloomberg’s first on the stage. And it showed.
He struggled to explain his support for stop-and-frisk policies and to answer attacks that he only rose in the polls because he’s flooding the airwaves with ads. But he looked the most ill-prepared over questions about non-disclosure agreements with women who accused him of sexist remarks.
The incoming fire by his rivals – and his struggle to effectively counter them – undercut Bloomberg’s campaign pitch that he is the party’s best hope to defeat President Donald Trump in November.
He followed up the debate with new endorsements from U.S. House members in key states, as well as announcing several new state legislative backers in Georgia. He also told supporters he was “just warming up” as he promised a stronger showing in South Carolina.
Bernie’s big moment
Bloomberg’s strategy for rebounding revolves around assailing Sanders, who has soared in recent national polling and is threatening Biden’s lead in South Carolina. Expect just about everyone else on the debate stage to target Sanders, too.
Already, Bloomberg’s campaign has released an ad criticizing Sanders’ gun control policies. Biden has cast him as disloyal to former President Barack Obama. Others will surely emphasize his comments on “60 Minutes” in which he praised Cuban dictator Fidel Castro’s education agenda.
It could be too late. Sanders won Nevada because he built a coalition of diverse voters, proving he could overcome one of his greatest weaknesses in the 2016 campaign.
He now hopes to deliver a knockout blow of Biden in South Carolina while also focusing on Super Tuesday states that could give him an impenetrable delegate lead.
Steyer’s back
After missing the debate stage last week, Steyer was a late addition thanks to hitting 18% in a CBS News/YouGov poll of South Carolina released on Sunday.
The billionaire has spent lavishly on South Carolina, drowning the state in advertisements that have helped him rise as high as second place in some recent polls. A tally from The Post and Courier shows he has 82 paid staffers, the largest team in South Carolina.
Still, he trails Biden, whose strength in South Carolina relies on strong support from African-American voters who will make up the bulk of the Democratic vote on Saturday. Sanders has showed a recent bump of support from black voters, too.
After dismal performances in the first three early-voting states, it’s all-or-nothing for Steyer.
“Look, if I don’t think I can win, I’ll stop,” he told Politico. “Honestly.”
A last stand?
He won’t be the only one who could bid farewell to the presidential race in the next week.
Democratic White House hopefuls have gathered for nine previous debates. And each time, pundits and politicos have predicted it could be the last time on the stage for a handful of them.
Yet the top tier of the race has remained remarkably static after the problem-plagued Iowa caucuses and the tight race for the top spot in New Hampshire. That will surely change, as establishment leaders nervous about Sanders begin to pressure the jumble of moderate candidates to get out. Warren, too, faces a do-or-die vote in the Super Tuesday states where she hopes for late traction.
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