Democratic Debate Forecast

October 13, 2015October 13, 2015 Mary Anna Mancuso Bernie Sanders, CNN, Democratic Debate, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Martin O'Malley

What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas, unless your name is Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley, Jim Webb, or Lincoln Chafee.

On Tuesday night, the five Democratic presidential candidates will take the stage in Sin City and spar off against one another in a two hour moderated debate hosted by CNN.

The anticipation of the debate has been less than that of the past two GOP presidential debates and currently the media storm surrounding Tuesday night’s debate is if CNN will need to provide an extra podium on the slight chance Vice President Joe Biden jumps makes a last minute announcement to run for president.

In anticipation of Biden entering the race, CNN has set aside a sixth podium in case Biden decides to take part in the debate. Initially Biden was set to announce his presidential bid near the end of summer, but new reports show Biden has extended the window on his announcement.

Nevertheless, the show must go on and it’s safe to say CNN has big shoes to fill in Las Vegas after the two previous Republican debates brought record-breaking viewership on FOX News.

With the absence of Trump on stage and Carly Fiorina to bring some class and sass, the only reason some people may tune in is to see if Hillary will finally address head-on the email scandal that’s been plaguing her campaign for months, and to see Bernie Sanders, a true socialist on the stage vying for the Democratic Nomination.

While both candidates have broken double digits and Sanders is leading in New Hampshire the other three candidates, have their work cut out for them. For candidates like Hillary and Sanders, this is a chance to stay current in the minds of voters, and rekindle a connection, but for candidates such as, Webb, O’Malley, or Chafee this is their opportunity to break out from behind the pack and talk about where they stand on the issues.

Issues such as foreign policy will take center stage and candidates will weigh in on topics ranging from reactions to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Iran nuclear deal, and the ongoing crisis in Syria.

Moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, the Tuesday night’s debate will offer Democratic candidates a chance to test their luck in a place where the house always wins. After all, not everyone can expect to go to Vegas and come home a winner.