Article snippet: MORE is emerging as the front-runner to win the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Sanders, the Independent senator from Vermont, has surged to an early lead in fundraising. His poll numbers are better than any other candidate in the race — and are rivaled only by former Vice President MORE, who has yet to enter the contest and who has been beset by concerns over his behavior toward women. Even Sanders’s gambles are paying off for now. A town hall-style event broadcast by Fox News on Monday garnered an audience of more than 2.5 million. The Vermont senator’s assured performance drowned out criticism from some Democrats who were dubious about the left-wing senator appearing on the network. Overall, the message is clear. Sanders is the one to beat. “Right now, he is the front-runner,” said Karine Jean-Pierre, the chief public affairs officer for MoveOn, a progressive group. “He is leading in the fundraising. He is leading in the polling — except for Biden, who has not jumped in yet. ... Bernie’s start has been impressive. Clearly his base is still with him and still excited.” The fervency of Sanders’s base will be especially important given the size of the Democratic field. He came up short against MORE in 2016, but that was, in essence, a two-person race. This time around, there are about a half-dozen serious contenders for the nomination and plenty of other candidates who will claim smaller slices of the pie. Those dynamics make the apparently unshakeable ... Link to the full article to read more