las vegas <u+0096> the democratic presidential candidates are holding their first debate tuesday night in las vegas.









it marks the first time frontrunner hillary clinton and her main challenger so far <u+0096> socialist sen. bernie sanders, i-vt. <u+0096> will appear on the same stage in this campaign, along with the other three candidates.









this campaign was expected to be a cakewalk for the former first lady, but it hasn't turned out that way.









one big reason seems to be the story that just won't away: how she used a private email server to conduct government business. it's fed a perception that she can play by a different set of rules.









even so, clinton still has a decent lead nationally over the socialist senator from vermont, but sanders is coming on strong. he's beating her comfortably in the key state of new hampshire and is close in iowa, too.









plus, sanders is the one drawing tens of thousands of people to his events. democratic voters seem to be listening intently to his populist messages.









with the threat from sanders a reality, clinton is now trying to reposition herself a little more leftward. just recently she came out against president barack obama's big trans-pacific partnership free trade agreement.









that's a reversal because while serving as secretary of state, she was for it. this new position puts her more in line with the liberal base of her party.









"as of today, i am not in favor of what i have learned about it," clinton said. "i don't believe it's going to meet the high bar i have set."









so, tonight the drama will center on how much sen. sanders and the other democrats confront clinton directly on the debate stage.









expect former maryland gov. martin o'malley to be an instigator. he's trying to get traction and has taken some shots at clinton over the last few months.









as for clinton herself, she's trying to avoid a repeat of 2008 when she went in as the heavy favorite, then ran into a buzz saw called barack obama.









this time around the buzz is growing for bernie sanders.
clinton, sanders to face off in 1st democrat debate
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