Everything you need to know about the third Democratic presidential debate.
By Quentin Misiag
[email protected]
Iowa continues to be Hillary Clinton’s political compound, where the latest state poll here indicates the former secretary of State leads Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley by nearly double digits.
But when Clinton exchanges jabs with her rivals during the third Democratic presidential debate Saturday at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., Clinton will enter territory favored by Sanders.
Here are four things to know about the upcoming debate:
Where the action will come from
New Hampshire’s St. Anselm — a Catholic, Benedictine liberal-arts college — is a historical hotbed of American politics. The school’s Institute of Politics regularly hosts presidential candidates or debates over the past seven decades, most recently in 2012 and 2008.
Former President John F. Kennedy spoke on campus on March 5, 1960. In 2012, former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan held a rally on campus there, where Romney joked that “only a Catholic guy would be able to get to the bells to toll just at the right time at St. Anselm’s.”
Debate setup
ABC News, the New Hampshire Democratic Party and the *New Hampshire Union Leader* newspaper will host the debate on the quaint 2,000-student campus beginning at 9 p.m.
Information on where Clinton, Sanders, and O’Malley will be placed on stage was not immediately available as of late Thursday evening.
David Muir and Martha Raddatz of ABC News will moderate the debate, bringing to the table decades of political reporting experience. Raddatz ran the 2012 vice-presidential debate, and Muir has spent two presidential election cycles on the trail.
Who leads in the Iowa, New Hampshire?
Iowa
Clinton has solidified her first-place standing in Iowa, where she leads Sanders by 9 percentage points in the latest Iowa Poll conducted for the *Des Moines Register*/Bloomberg Politics.
In the December poll, 48 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers say Clinton is their first choice for the Democratic nomination.
Sanders is the favorite of 39 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers, a rise of 2 percentage points from October.
Only 4 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers say O’Malley is the best suited for the party’s nomination, doubling his numbers from October.
The December Iowa Poll was conducted by phone between Dec. 7-10. The poll surveyed 404 registered voters who say they definitely or probably will attend the 2016 Democratic on Feb. 1, 2016. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
New Hampshire
Sanders has a stronghold in this early presidential nominating state, where he leads Clinton by double-digits in the latest CNN/WMUR poll.
The poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center by phone between Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, showed 50 percent of likely Democratic primary voters in the Granite State back Sanders.
Clinton is seen as the best option for the party’s nomination by 40 percent of the 370 people surveyed. As in Iowa, O’Malley registered in the single digits, where just 1 percent of New Hampshire Democrats say he is the best choice for the party in 2016.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.1 percentage points.
Iowa still a priority on debate night
Almost 200 Iowa Democratic watch parties are planned during Saturday’s debate. Clinton’s team has secured 100 watch parties in local hotels, organizing offices and living rooms from Ames, Burlington, Des Moines to Iowa City, Waterloo, and West Des Moines. Nine state and national surrogates will also be on hand, according to the campaign, including state Attorney General Tom Miller, Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., and Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy.
How to follow along
Follow the Ethics and Politics Initiative on Twitter (@DIpolitics), Instagram (@daily_iowan) and on Facebook for reaction from Iowa Democrats, photos and key takeaways. Scroll through complete Twitter reaction nationally at #DemDebate.