Democratic debate: young Buttigieg facing veterans Sanders and Biden

The debate between the candidates for the democratic nomination turned Friday to the generational confrontation between the young moderate Pete Buttigieg and the "socialist" senator Bernie Sanders, shoulder to shoulder in the polls to four days of the primary in the New Hampshire. Pete Buttigieg, 38, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, 78, are on the rise after claiming victory each in the Democratic Iowa primary on Monday .

Former Vice President Joe Biden, who was relegated to fourth place in the Midwest poll, insisted on his experience to get back into the race. Four other candidates, progressive senator Elizabeth Warren, moderate senator Amy Klobuchar, businessman Andrew Yang and billionaire Tom Steyer, tried to exist against the three stars of the evening organized in Manchester, New Hampshire .

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"We need a perspective that allows to let the politics of the past in the past, to turn the page and bring change to Washington," commented Pete Buttigieg. Faced with America's "new challenges" , he mocked the politicians "shaped by the decisions made in the big white buildings" of the American capital. He was targeting Bernie Sanders as Joe Biden, 77, and a senator for 36 years before being Barack Obama's right hand man.

"The politics of the past were not so bad," replied Joe Biden, citing in particular his support for gay marriage, while Pete Buttigieg has been married to a man since 2018. His other handicap, besides his age? His lack of national experience, according to Joe Biden. "He's a great guy, the mayor of a small town who has done good things but hasn't proven his ability" to rally a majority to govern the United States. Bernie Sanders attacked the moderate youth on the wealth of his donors. "The way to bring people together is to present a program that works for workers in this country, not the billionaire class , " said the senator to the program on the far left.

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Despite chaotic polls that forced the Democratic Party to order a ballot check, Iowa has created new momentum for Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders who are neck and neck in New Hampshire, according to a Boston poll World. The rating of Pete Buttigieg has continued to climb in recent days and, with 23% of voting intentions, he is now close behind his opponent (24%). Elizabeth Warren is behind with 13%, like Joe Biden (11%). Neil Levesque, director of the Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, recalls that the former local elected representative has long been "taken lightly" while "making good scores since the summer" in the polls in this state in the northeast of the country.

"All behind to beat" Trump

The party's unity to deprive the Republican billionaire of a second term was one of the few moments of consensus among the candidates. "No matter who wins this damn (nomination contest), we will all be behind to beat" Donald Trump, said Bernie Sanders. He had won the New Hampshire primary in 2016, before being finally beaten by Hillary Clinton. Tom Steyer stressed the importance of the black and Latin minorities, who traditionally vote for Democrats. Joe Biden also stressed his own ability to rally while the socialist label of Bernie Sanders could scare moderate voters and benefit Republican Donald Trump. "Bernie has proclaimed himself a Socialist Democrat, it is his label and it will weigh on opinion if he is appointed" for the nomination, he said.

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For Neil Levesque, Joe Biden "has a lot to lose" in New Hampshire. "He really has to recover" to avoid a new underperformance that would be "difficult" for his candidacy, said the expert. Joe Biden reorganized his campaign team and appointed a renowned strategist to lead it, with primary targets in Nevada (January 22) and South Carolina (February 29) as the black and religious electorate told him. is largely supportive.

These primaries also take place in the shadow of Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York who intends to play as Joe Biden the moderate wing of the party. Billionaire with an almost unlimited budget, he spent several hundreds of millions of dollars on television and internet spots for his entry in the “Super Tuesday” contest, when 14 states will vote on March 3.

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