The PBS Democratic Debate 2016 will take place on Thursday night, and following Bernie Sanders' emphatic win in this week's New Hampshire Primary, Hillary Clinton will be hoping to come out strong today to reassert herself as the frontrunner. Today's Democratic Presidential Debate will be shown on TV on the TBS and CNN networks and has a start time of 9 p.m. ET from Milwaukee. The debate can also be watched online through free live stream via the link below.
This will be the sixth debate in the Democratic 2016 elections calendar, and will be the first since Hillary Clinton was blown away by Sen. Bernie Sanders in the New Hampshire Primary on Tuesday.
That 22 point defeat, as well as the surprisingly razor-thin win for Clinton in the Iowa Caucuses, as led Clinton's campaign to re-evaluate her campaign message and strategy.
The Clinton campaign has been quick to point out that both contests so far, in Iowa and New Hampshire, have played into the demographics most favorable to her opponent, Sanders. But although the Clinton campaign has insisted it fully expects to start winning convincingly once the contest moves into March, many believe that her showing in the first two states have shown clear weaknesses in her campaign that leave serious doubts about her standing with the wider electorate outside her base.
Oppositely, the opening two contests have underlined Bernie Sanders' standing as a serious opponent to Clinton, and have acted as a springboard for him to receive further waves of campaign donations.
Many believe that the contest will now almost certainly go deep into the spring, and with each weak showing for Clinton, confidence in her campaign is further questioned.
In just 24 hours after his big win in New Hampshire, Sanders raised more than $6 million online, and more and more voters are starting to stand up and take notice.
Sanders' immediate goal will be to put on strong showings in Nevada and South Carolina - two states that most would believe should be strong wins for Clinton. Both states have fewer voters who identify as independents, as well as larger Latino and black populations - which all plays to Clinton's strongest demographics.
Clinton must do well in the upcoming contests, and it is becoming essential for her to stop the growing wave of good-feeling and positivity surrounding Sanders' campaign. She must undermine her opponent's core message without coming across as arrogant or self-righteous, which may be a tough balancing act for the former Secretary of State.
Sanders meanwhile has one goal in mind for the coming weeks, and that is to expand his base. He has been given overwhelming backing from younger voters, as well as liberals and white Democrats, however, Clinton is far ahead among black and Latino voters. Many also see Clinton as more likely to win a general election than Sanders, and that is another issue that Sanders will need to address and change. Clinton meanwhile is seen as much less trustworthy, or "telling it as it is", than Sanders, and that is a major obstacle that she needs to eat away at to win the Democratic nomination, as well as potentially the general election later this year.
Tonight's TBS Democratic Presidential Debate 2016 will start at 9 p.m. ET and can be seen on TV on the TBS and CNN networks, or watched online through free live stream by clicking here.
