Turbulence shakes Democrats going into final debate of 2019

CLINTON, Iowa - Seven Democratic presidential candidates will stand on stage this week in Los Angeles, a pool of survivors who have withstood almost a year on the campaign trail, sustained attacks from rivals in both major political parties and five rounds of high-pressure debates.

And while the field has been effectively cut down from more than 20 in the span of six months, a deepening sense of volatility is settling over the Democratic primary on the eve of the sixth and final debate of 2019. The remaining candidates, those in the debate and some trying to compete from outside, are grappling with unprecedented distraction from Washington, questions about their core principles and new signs that the party's energized factions are turning against each other.

http://www.startribune.com/turbulence-shakes-democrats-going-into-final-debate-of-2019/566233442/