5 questions for next Democratic debate – Bloomberg’s first

LAS VEGAS (AP) — There’s a new kid in town for the ninth Democratic debate, Mike Bloomberg, the self-funding billionaire presidential candidate. Five questions ahead of the faceoff Wednesday night in Las Vegas:

HOW DOES BLOOMBERG STACK UP?

No candidate has the potential to upend the race for the Democratic presidential nomination more than Bloomberg, the former New York mayor and billionaire owner of a financial data and news empire.

He has spent more than $400 million on advertising so far and has risen in national polling as a result. That has allowed him a place on the debate stage in Las Vegas, after the Democratic National Committee dropped an additional requirement of reaching a certain number of donors. Since Bloomberg accepts no donations, polls were the only way he could qualify.

He has demonstrated the power of essentially an unlimited budget, but he will have to directly engage with five other contenders who have been debating one another for months, holding town halls and answering voters’ questions.

How does Bloomberg deal with the inevitable attacks from rivals, and how can he sell himself in person to voters?

WHO TAKES THE MOST INCOMING?

The Democratic race is entering a critical phase, where Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is breaking out as an early front-runner while more moderate candidates are splintering voters. But Sanders has yet to win even 30% of the vote.

Sanders is likely to be a target at the debate, but Bloomberg is likely to be tested at least as vigorously. At the last debate, it was former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, fresh off a strong showing in Iowa, who drew the most fire.

Also worth watching is where moderates other than Bloomberg train their fire: on an ascendant Sanders, trying to blunt his rise, or on the rivals in their own lane, hoping to clear a path?