Good evening. It is just the opener, but already the first Democratic debate of campaign

2020's generating viewer and voter interest more fitting for a season finale. People are

watching and talking about it and numbers suggesting they are already deeply invested in the

presidential campaign. And with Polo after Polo Democrats showing the beating President

Trump as a key attribute for their party's nominee, tonight's round will be a test of

the man who right now at least is polling best against him, Joe Biden. Tonight's lineup

features a self-help author to well-regarded Colorado politicians, a small town mayor,

Pete Buttigieg, with a big time buzz, is sitting congressman with a national following,

four sitting U.S. senators, including a former leading 2016 contender, Bernie Sanders,

California's charismatic freshman Kamala Harris, and Joe Biden. The former vice president,

the current frontrunner, the one right now who as a candidate in this race has made comparatively

few public appearances and has had comparatively little exposure to hard questions from voters,

and his opponents. He has, however, faced more questions than most about whether he has

the discipline and at his age, the endurance needed to power through the campaign, or for

that matter, due well on stage in Miami tonight. We have some late reporting on his plans

for that, so before getting into the larger discussion, I want to check on the CNN chef

Zeleny who joined us now. So what are you learning, chef?

Interesting, good evening. I'm told that the former vice president does not want to spend

the entire evening talking about his past record. So one of his advisors tells me when

he is asked about that, of course, he'll explain it and defend it. He wants to pivot forward.

That is the word that they keep using over and over, pivot forward, and really make the

case that he is trying to present a case for the future. That, of course, is one of the

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