CNN Democratic Presidential Debate

(AP) — Forceful and confident in debate, Hillary Rodham Clinton may have heartened Democrats worried that her handling of a private email server used while secretary of state might indicate larger problems with her campaign and her political skills. Clinton’s strong performance Tuesday night in the party’ first presidential debate of the 2016 race might give Vice President Joe Biden another reason to stay on the sidelines. Biden, still mulling a run, watched from his Washington home.

Clinton tried to portray herself as President Barack Obama’s natural successor, and when asked how she would differ from him, mildly noted that she would be the first female president, if elected.

SANDERS: “Almost all the new income and wealth is going to the top 1 percent. “THE FACTS: Sanders appears to be relying on outdated data. In the first five years of the economic recovery, from 2009 through 2014, the richest 1 percent of Americans captured 58 percent of income growth, according to Emmanuel Saez, a University of California economist whose research Sanders uses. While certainly a large gain, that is a lot less than “almost all. “In just the first three years of the recovery, from 2009 through 2012, the richest 1 percent did capture 91 percent of the growth in income. But part of that occurred because of impending tax increases on the wealthiest Americans that took effect in 2013.Many companies paid out greater bonuses to their highest-paid employees in 2012 before the higher tax rates took effect. Those bonuses then fell back in 2013. And in 2014, the bottom 99 percent finally saw their incomes rise 3.3 percent, the biggest gain in 15 years.

While Clinton passed her first test, there will be more to come. The candidates have five more primary debates, and several of the contenders are pushing for more.