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| In Hillary we trust: supporters wait for Clinton to shine in Democratic debate | In Hillary we trust: supporters wait for Clinton to shine in Democratic debate |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Since Hillary Clinton launched her second campaign for president of the United States, her quest to ascend to the nation’s highest office has been fraught with frustration. | Since Hillary Clinton launched her second campaign for president of the United States, her quest to ascend to the nation’s highest office has been fraught with frustration. |
| The last few months have seen the former secretary of state dogged by a relentless focus over her use of a private email server, dipping favorabillity numbers and the rise of Bernie Sanders, the socialist senator who is challenging her for the Democratic party’s nomination. | The last few months have seen the former secretary of state dogged by a relentless focus over her use of a private email server, dipping favorabillity numbers and the rise of Bernie Sanders, the socialist senator who is challenging her for the Democratic party’s nomination. |
| Related: Bernie Sanders' Democratic debate challenge: turning down the volume | Related: Bernie Sanders' Democratic debate challenge: turning down the volume |
| But the arrival of the first Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday will offer Clinton an opportunity to establish to the American electorate not simply the options they face within her own party but the broader choice that lays ahead in the road to electing the next US president. | But the arrival of the first Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday will offer Clinton an opportunity to establish to the American electorate not simply the options they face within her own party but the broader choice that lays ahead in the road to electing the next US president. |
| It’s a choice Clinton has sought to convey on the campaign trail while she has steadily rolled out policy proposals on everything from education to energy to criminal justice and financial reform. And it’s the conversation in which her campaign says voters are truly interested, as opposed to the latest development in the email saga or her poll numbers. | It’s a choice Clinton has sought to convey on the campaign trail while she has steadily rolled out policy proposals on everything from education to energy to criminal justice and financial reform. And it’s the conversation in which her campaign says voters are truly interested, as opposed to the latest development in the email saga or her poll numbers. |
| Aides to Clinton said that for millions of Americans, the debate posed the first time voters would hear about her agenda and emphasised how it stood in contrast not to her fellow Democrats but to Republicans. While they acknowledged there would be points of difference between the candidates on stage, the objective was not for Clinton to go on the attack but to instead remind voters of her record and why she was running for president. | Aides to Clinton said that for millions of Americans, the debate posed the first time voters would hear about her agenda and emphasised how it stood in contrast not to her fellow Democrats but to Republicans. While they acknowledged there would be points of difference between the candidates on stage, the objective was not for Clinton to go on the attack but to instead remind voters of her record and why she was running for president. |
| “We’re looking forward to Tuesday night as an opportunity for Hillary Clinton to talk with voters directly about what she stands for and what she’s fighting for,” said Karen Finney, a spokeswoman for Clinton’s campaign. “We feel confident that people will see she’s the one they can trust to fight for them and their families in the White House.” | “We’re looking forward to Tuesday night as an opportunity for Hillary Clinton to talk with voters directly about what she stands for and what she’s fighting for,” said Karen Finney, a spokeswoman for Clinton’s campaign. “We feel confident that people will see she’s the one they can trust to fight for them and their families in the White House.” |
| Conversations with voters walking along the famed Las Vegas strip, where Tuesday night’s debate will occur, support the notion that Americans have yet to follow the election at the same frenzied pace as the media. While most people approached by the Guardian said they had heard about the issue with Clinton’s email, for example, few said they had followed it closely. | Conversations with voters walking along the famed Las Vegas strip, where Tuesday night’s debate will occur, support the notion that Americans have yet to follow the election at the same frenzied pace as the media. While most people approached by the Guardian said they had heard about the issue with Clinton’s email, for example, few said they had followed it closely. |
| Voters who identified as Democrats uniformly said Clinton’s use of the private server had no bearing on how they viewed her as a candidate, while only a handful of independents raised the subject. | Voters who identified as Democrats uniformly said Clinton’s use of the private server had no bearing on how they viewed her as a candidate, while only a handful of independents raised the subject. |
| “Most of it’s just a lot of hype, and I believe they’re just trying to smash her around,” said Marty Williams, a local who said she is backing Clinton, in reference to the media’s coverage of the emails and its impact on Clinton’s candidacy. | “Most of it’s just a lot of hype, and I believe they’re just trying to smash her around,” said Marty Williams, a local who said she is backing Clinton, in reference to the media’s coverage of the emails and its impact on Clinton’s candidacy. |
| By and large, whether they were either enjoying a vacation in Las Vegas or residents of Nevada themselves, prospective voters said they were primarily concerned with issues such as the economy, the environment and national security, and were hopful the debate would centre on each candidates’ policies. | By and large, whether they were either enjoying a vacation in Las Vegas or residents of Nevada themselves, prospective voters said they were primarily concerned with issues such as the economy, the environment and national security, and were hopful the debate would centre on each candidates’ policies. |
| But the rise of Sanders and its impact on the Democratic primary was palpable, as many voters raised questions over Clinton’s consistency on issues such as environmental policy and Wall Street reform. | But the rise of Sanders and its impact on the Democratic primary was palpable, as many voters raised questions over Clinton’s consistency on issues such as environmental policy and Wall Street reform. |
| Related: What's the one question you would ask the Democratic presidential candidates? | Related: What's the one question you would ask the Democratic presidential candidates? |
| David Tarantino, a Las Vegas resident, said he was inclined to vote for Sanders because he didn’t seem as though he was “driven by political expediency”. | David Tarantino, a Las Vegas resident, said he was inclined to vote for Sanders because he didn’t seem as though he was “driven by political expediency”. |
| “He seems to be the most outfront and honest,” Tarantino said. “He feels more so as though he’s not in it for the politics.” | “He seems to be the most outfront and honest,” Tarantino said. “He feels more so as though he’s not in it for the politics.” |
| Alex Robinson, a student at Iowa State University who will vote for the first time in the Democratic primaries, said she was originally leaning toward Clinton but was now more favorable toward Sanders. | Alex Robinson, a student at Iowa State University who will vote for the first time in the Democratic primaries, said she was originally leaning toward Clinton but was now more favorable toward Sanders. |
| “I think he’s been more open about his position on climate,” she said, although she added she was “on board” if Clinton is the party’s nominee. | “I think he’s been more open about his position on climate,” she said, although she added she was “on board” if Clinton is the party’s nominee. |
| Leading up to the debate, Clinton has tacked further to the left in a number of areas of tantamount importance to the progressive wing of the Democratic party. | Leading up to the debate, Clinton has tacked further to the left in a number of areas of tantamount importance to the progressive wing of the Democratic party. |
| Both Sanders and Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor who has struggled to gain traction in the race, have already hinted they will use the debate stage to portray Clinton as late to the occasion. | Both Sanders and Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor who has struggled to gain traction in the race, have already hinted they will use the debate stage to portray Clinton as late to the occasion. |
| In recent weeks alone, Clinton came out against the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, a project opposed by environmentalists, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a historic 12-nation trade pact brokered by Barack Obama that has been met with vehement opposition from labor unions. Both Sanders and O’Malley were quick to note they had held such positions “since day one”. | |
| Clinton has been reluctant to criticise Sanders, and doing so poses its own set of risks with respect to potentially alienating his supporters. Her sharpened rhetoric on the campaign trail has been reserved for Republicans, as she seeks to frame the election as a stark choice on issues like income inequality, women’s reproductive rights and immigration reform. | Clinton has been reluctant to criticise Sanders, and doing so poses its own set of risks with respect to potentially alienating his supporters. Her sharpened rhetoric on the campaign trail has been reserved for Republicans, as she seeks to frame the election as a stark choice on issues like income inequality, women’s reproductive rights and immigration reform. |
| But there are areas in which Clinton could highlight her own consistency advocating for more decidedly progressive policies, such as for stricter gun laws. Sanders has not always supported gun control and has struggled at times to defend his record as a summer full of high-profile shootings has again brought access to firearms to the forefront of the national discourse. | But there are areas in which Clinton could highlight her own consistency advocating for more decidedly progressive policies, such as for stricter gun laws. Sanders has not always supported gun control and has struggled at times to defend his record as a summer full of high-profile shootings has again brought access to firearms to the forefront of the national discourse. |
| Related: Hillary Clinton's gun control proposals: could they ever become law? | Related: Hillary Clinton's gun control proposals: could they ever become law? |
| Clinton also remains well ahead of her Democratic opponents nationally, even as Sanders has ticked up in certain key early voting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire. The debate provides her with a chance to cast herself as the more pragmatic choice, as Sanders faces the challenge of convincing voters that he would be a viable candidate on the national stage. | Clinton also remains well ahead of her Democratic opponents nationally, even as Sanders has ticked up in certain key early voting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire. The debate provides her with a chance to cast herself as the more pragmatic choice, as Sanders faces the challenge of convincing voters that he would be a viable candidate on the national stage. |
| Clinton’s supporters said they were confident her record – as first lady, as a US senator and as secretary of state – would speak for itself. | |
| “She’s got a lot of experience behind her in many fields and so far she’s the most well-rounded candidate,” said Williams. | “She’s got a lot of experience behind her in many fields and so far she’s the most well-rounded candidate,” said Williams. |
| Robert Firestone, a resident of Las Vegas, said Clinton had a “stellar” history of backing LGBT rights and income inequality. He took issue with the media’s emphasis on emails, while adding that voters like himself were optimistic that a more serious discussion would drive the proceedings on Tuesday night. | Robert Firestone, a resident of Las Vegas, said Clinton had a “stellar” history of backing LGBT rights and income inequality. He took issue with the media’s emphasis on emails, while adding that voters like himself were optimistic that a more serious discussion would drive the proceedings on Tuesday night. |
| “The debate is pivotal to me,” he said. “I trust Hillary.” |
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