Clinton and Sanders to face off in first Democratic debate
Hillary Clinton is preparing for the first Democratic presidential debate, seeking to mix her firm grasp of policy with a more personal touch.
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For chief rival Bernie Sanders, the debate is a chance to reach a broader audience after months of appealing to the party's most liberal voters.
Tuesday's Democratic outing is expected to be less contentious than recent Republican debates.
Analysts expect a heavy focus on economic issues like income inequality.
The three other, mostly unknown, candidates - former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, former Virginia Senator Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee - will be seeking a standout moment after months of languishing in the polls.
And Vice-President Joe Biden, who is still considering a run for the White House, will loom large despite not actually being on stage.
The debate organisers at CNN have set aside a lectern just on the off-chance Mr Biden decides to enter the fray at the last minute. The debate is set to start at 17:30 local time (00:30 GMT).
Mrs Clinton - long seen as the presumptive front-runner - has seen her support wane amid questions about her trustworthiness.
She has been criticised for using a private email account when she served as US secretary of state, a move she now calls a mistake.
Some Republicans say Mrs Clinton put classified information at risk by using the private account - a charge she denies.
Mr Sanders, a Vermont Senator who calls himself a democratic socialist, has drawn record crowds in recent months with his message of increased economic fairness for the working class.
He is leading in early voting states of New Hampshire and Iowa and has defied expectations, raising large amounts of money from thousands of small donors.
However Mrs Clinton maintains a substantial lead in many Southern states like South Carolina and swing states like Nevada, where Tuesday's debate will be held.
Three questions ahead of the debate
1. How hard will they be on Hillary? Compared to the rough-and-tumble Republican race, the Democrats have been exceedingly civil. But candidates will still be looking to step out of the frontrunner's shadow. More liberal candidates like Mr Sanders and Mr O'Malley could play up Mrs Clinton's close ties to Wall Street. And Mr Webb and Mr Chafee - who both opposed the 2003 Iraq War - could press Mrs Clinton on her hawkish foreign policy stances.
2. Can Bernie go mainstream? Mr Sanders has become a rock star among the party's left wing, but he is not without some baggage. Technically, he is an independent and not a Democrat. He proudly calls himself a "democratic socialist" in a country where many view "socialist" as a slur. And he may encounter awkward questions about his relatively pro-gun rights record.
3. Will there be a Carly Fiorina moment? After two standout performances in the Republican debates, Ms Fiorina was rewarded with a bump in her poll numbers, rising from a lower-tier candidate into the top three. Some see a chance for Mr O'Malley to do the same. He is an accomplished former mayor and governor, but has thus far has been invisible on the campaign trail.
Mr Sanders has resonated with the party's affluent white voters but has yet to make inroads with African Americans and Latinos - key Democratic constituencies.
Mrs Clinton and Mr Sanders have mostly avoided direct criticism of each other in contrast to the raucous Republican field.
However, even if the candidates themselves practise restraint, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump promises to provide live commentary on Twitter.