Tuesday's debate will be all about Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Tom Steyer

The ones to watch aren't necessarily the ones you'd expect

It’s set to be a crowded night tomorrow evening during the fourth round of the Democratic presidential debates with 12 candidates onstage – the most this year. Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard will be making an appearance again after missing the last debate and billionaire Tom Steyer will also take the stage for the first time with the other candidates.

Some analysts have predicted a breakthrough night from Gabbard, despite the fact that her performances have hardly been standout ones in the past few months. In earlier debates, she told Sen. Kamala Harris that "people suffered under her reign" as Attorney General of California. Recently, she criticized Sen. Elizabeth Warren for what she characterized as a lack of leadership ability. It’s fair to say she’s on the offensive, probably as a visibility strategy, but not every move is going down well. Most notably, her impeachment views have set her apart from the field in a bad way: she told the Hill’s show Rising that the transcript of Trump’s Ukraine call doesn’t make a “compelling” case for impeachment. It will be interesting to see how this goes down on a live debate stage.

It will be equally interesting to watch billionaire hedge fund founder Tom Steyer, who also founded the political groups Need to Impeach and NextGen America, stand alongside progressive peers tomorrow. Steyer has been pushing for Trump’s impeachment since 2017, and NextGenAmerica, along with the Sierra Club, was one of the first backers of the Green New Deal. Steyer shouldn’t be so easily dismissed by political pundits or the public, either. He represents the polar opposite of Trump on policy and, if he were to go on to seriously compete in the 2020 or 2024 elections, it wouldn’t be the first time an extremely wealthy political outsider ran for the White House on a platform of radical change.

But the real focus tomorrow night is on the three septuagenarians who are leading in the polls: former VP Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Warren was already rising steadily before the Ukraine scandal stained former VP Joe Biden’s campaign with allegations of corruption and nepotism, and before Sen. Bernie Sander’s heart attack earlier this month. But with the Democratic primary starting in February of next year, it is looking more and more like Democrats just might nominate their second ever female presidential candidate to the presidency – and it won’t be Tulsi Gabbard.

Biden and Sanders are Warren’s two lead contenders for the Party nomination, but they’re waning. The full details of Sanders’s heart attack haven’t been made known to his staffers, let alone the public, and he’s already trailing in third place in most polls. And while it’s unlikely Warren or Sanders will call Biden out tomorrow night for getting his son a job on the board of a Ukrainian energy company (right after that country’s revolution in 2014 and in spite of Hunter Biden’s lack of experience in the industry), it’s likely one of the other candidates will.

It’s likely that Warren’s showing tomorrow night will help to make her case as best candidate for the nomination, even if she isn’t leading the polls. The question could well then shift to which of the other presidential hopefuls onstage (if any) is the right person to be Warren’s VP running mate — as well as who might actually want that job.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey would be ideal – he’s got all the qualities and preparation necessary that Warren needs as her go-to person in the White House and on the campaign trail. And if she hasn’t been convinced by the New Jersey senator’s debate performance, which has been consistently strong, I suggest Warren and her team watch the fascinating documentary about Booker’s plight to become mayor of Newark, New Jersey.

The film, titled Street Fight, portrays a man of intelligence, character, perseverance and dedication to his community. There is no two-faced dealing, no double standard with Booker; he comes off as real and empathetic, trustworthy, values-driven, transparent, and honorable.

The Stanford and Yale-educated Booker personifies the ideals of public service work – a message that is on point with Warren’s historical plight to serve her constituents in the face of corporate interests. Booker is also in third place for Democratic endorsements according to FiveThirtyEight. Warren is currently in fourth place, so she could use the boost in her push for the presidency.

Hopefully the Democratic electorate is ready to support a Warren-Booker ticket. It may be the Dems' only chance to defeat Trump in the 2020 elections, with or without an impeachment.