Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went into the third Democratic debate on Saturday with a clear message: Democrats need to nominate a candidate who can beat the Republican nominee.
Clinton bookended her appearance at the debate in New Hampshire by drawing a "stark contrast" between herself and the Republican Party.
“We have to prevent the Republicans from rolling back the progress that we’ve made,” Clinton said during her opening remarks.
In her closing statement some two hours later, Clinton laid out a vision of what she believed the US would look like under a Republican president.
"A lot of the rights that have been won over years — from women's rights, to voter rights, to gay rights, to worker rights — will be at risk. Social Security, which Republicans call a 'Ponzi scheme,' may face privatization," Clinton said.
"The list goes on because the differences are so stark. ... This is a watershed election. I know how important it is that we have a Democrat succeed President Obama in the White House."