Clinton, Sanders set for critical N.Y. debate

WASHINGTON – Hillary Clinton thought she’d be able to move onto the general election by now.

But here she is – in the middle of April – locked in an increasingly combative race, the loser of eight recent state contests and facing yet another debate.

She faces off with Bernie Sanders for the 10th time in a debate Thursday night, days before Tuesday’s all-important New York primary.

The former secretary of state has amassed a virtually insurmountable lead in the race for the Democratic nomination against the independent senator from Vermont. But she continues to show vulnerability in a surprisingly competitive contest where she has often failed to capture the same enthusiasm as her rival.

“Anytime you have to explain that you’re winning, you’re losing,” said Stephanie Martin, a professor of communication studies at Southern Methodist University. “Clinton is up by 2 million votes, yet the narrative is she’s losing because Sanders has won eight of the last nine states. Clinton has to change the narrative.”

Clinton still needs a solid win in New York – her adopted home state – over Sanders – who grew up in New York – less for delegates and more for perception.

She leads Sanders in New York by more than 13 percentage points, according to an average compiled by Real Clear Politics. The state’s primary is open only to Democrats, which hurts Sanders, who has seen enormous support from independents.

Sanders has an advantage over Clinton nationally by a narrow 49 percent to 47 percent, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll. But she has a lead over him in the race for delegates and a massive advantage when counting superdelegates, Democratic Party leaders who can back any candidate regardless of how their states vote.

Both candidates have grown more personal in their attacks in recent weeks as the race drags on, and Thursday’s debate could end up being one of the Democratic Party’s liveliest ones yet.

Political observers expect Sanders, who plans to stay in the race despite an improbable ability to catch up with Clinton’s lead in delegates, to attack her in one of the last remaining debates.

Sanders, who maintains a decadeslong pledge to run only positive campaigns, had been reluctant to attack Clinton, but that has gradually changed.

In recent days, he has said Clinton is not qualified to president, has questioned her judgment and has attacked her environmental policies. After he was accused of being sexist, he dropped his accusation that she is not qualified, but he still suggested that her resume may not be “enough at the end of the day.”

He has made clear that he won’t attack her for her controversial personal email account while she was secretary of state, which is being investigated by the FBI. But he may continue to talk about her inconsistencies and ties to Wall Street, and to cite polls that find many Americans don’t trust her.

“Given the high stakes surrounding the debate and New York primary, the temptation to go negative against Clinton will persist, but Sanders should resist the urge to do so because his brand is so closely connected to running a positive and issue-based campaign,” said Aaron Kall, a presidential debate expert at the University of Michigan.

Clinton, too, has attacked Sanders on immigration and gun control, and she accused him of flailing on the campaign trail in New York after he struggled to explain how he would break up big banks in a New York Daily News editorial board interview.

“I have noticed that under the bright spotlight and scrutiny here in New York, Sen. Sanders has had trouble answering questions,” Clinton said. “He has had trouble answering questions about his core issue, namely, dealing with the banks. He has had trouble answering foreign policy questions.”

Clinton, though, needs to show she is above the fray by not getting flustered by tough questions or attacks on her record since she has the lead both in New York and in delegates. If attacked, she needs to express her disappointment in Sanders’ actions while trying to unite the party against Republicans, including front-runner Donald Trump.

“The smart move is to talk about Trump, making him the face of the Republican Party,” said Hank Sheinkopf, a New York-based consultant who once worked for Clinton.