The first Democratic debate won’t take place until October 13th, more than two months from now.
That will give Bernie Sanders enough time to give his usual heavily attended, rousing speeches to many more enthusiastic crowds.
It will also give the other Democratic candidates, probably including Joe Biden, enough time to attract more support at the expense of Hillary.
Which means that by October 13th, Bernie Sanders will probably be leading in the polls, at least in his neighboring state of New Hampshire, and probably many other states if Joe Biden’s candidacy gets off to a decent start and Hillary’s poll numbers continue to deteriorate at their present rate.
It really could become more competitive than most expect. I hope so because if the Dim primaries are competitive there will be much less possibility of Dims making mischief by crossing over in states with open primaries.