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Article snippet: Impeachment is complicating the Democratic race for president — and not only in terms of whether the public supports or opposes it. The sheer intensity of the spotlight on impeachment hearings on Capitol Hill is overshadowing the primacy process, even with the Iowa caucuses less than three months away. That makes it more difficult for candidates to shift the trajectory of the race or have the kind of breakout moment that would change their fortunes at a stroke. This past week’s Democratic debate in Atlanta — the fifth round of debates this cycle — was the least watched so far. The clash between 10 candidates at Tyler Perry Studios drew 6.6 million TV viewers, according to overnight Nielsen ratings. Back in June, the second of two initial debates in Miami drew 18.1 million viewers. As recently as last month, an Ohio debate pulled in 8.5 million viewers. Wednesday’s debate had less firepower than events earlier in the day in Washington, when U.S. Ambassador to the European Union MORE’s dealings with Ukraine. “The Democrats, including the candidates for president, are all obsessed with President Trump and obsessed with impeachment,” said Tobe Berkovitz, a Boston University professor who specializes in political communications. “At the same time, of course each candidate is also trying to communicate what they see as the special aspects of their candidacy.” Some Democrats, however, said the impeachment battle had an upside as well as a downside, motivating voters to... Link to the full article to read more