Viewer’s Guide: Clinton, Sanders in last debate before Iowa

Last week, the broadcast network said candidates had to either be polling at 5 percent nationally or in state polls in Iowa, New Hampshire or SC to make the debate stage.

Despite averaging just 4.6% in Iowa, the Democratic presidential hopeful has been invited to participate in the network’s Sunday debate, according to NBC News.

The Republicans running for president have filled their debates with plenty of drama and biting one-liners.

Viewers should expect to see some rigorous sparring between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, following Sanders’s rise in the polls and their recent battles over guns, health care, and regulating Wall Street.

Missing the debate stage would have been a blow to the O’Malley campaign, which has struggled to gain traction as the progressive alternative to Clinton.

So O’Malley barely cleared the bar.

Primary day for the Democrats in SC is February 27.

Hillary Clinton has steadily been ahead in national polls, but Bernie Sanders has started closing in, with a lead in New Hampshire and neck and neck with Clinton in Iowa. He has repeatedly called for more debates.

NBC is partnering with YouTube on Sunday’s debate, which is hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus and sanctioned by the DNC and the South Carolina Democratic Party.

The main moderator during the debate will be NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt.

The Democratic debate schedule has also been mocked by Republican candidates.

The debate, scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday, is in the same slot as PBS’ popular period drama “Downton Abbey” and airs right after two National Football League playoff games. Andrea Mitchell will also be asking questions during the important debate.