3 things the Democratic presidential hopefuls don’t agree on

With just over 24 hours before Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate at the Wynn Las Vegas, the field appears to be set with five candidates, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders.

Barring a last-second entry from Vice President Joe Biden, the current Democratic field sees eye-to-eye on most major issues. But some other significant policy differences could make for some Tuesday night fireworks come debate time.

Here are three topics to be ready for when the candidates step up to the podium:

GUN CONTROL

While Clinton, Martin O’Malley, Lincoln Chafee and Jim Webb are in favor of adding tougher federal regulations on gun control, Sanders has held a more moderate stance.

Shortly after being elected to the House of Representatives, Sanders voted against the 1993 Brady bill, which set the groundwork for background checks on buyers of firearms.

In 2003, Sanders voted in favor of the proposed Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, a bill that prohibited lawsuits against gun makers and sellers for their customers’ misuse of guns.

In a recent article published on her campaign website, Clinton said she’d require customers at both licensed gun dealerships and gun shows to be background-checked. The former secretary of state also threatens to take administrative action “if Congress refuses to act.”

In a September editorial for CNN, O’Malley promised making background checks necessary “for each and every gun purchase.” Gun owners would have to obtain a fingerprint-based license, O’Malley wrote, and complete safety training courses.

Without the added protections, he argued, it’s “far too easy” for criminals to legally buy guns.

O’Malley also proposed a national registry of gun sales to make it easier for police to find owners of weapons used for crimes.

MINIMUM WAGE

All five candidates are in favor of raising the federal minimum wage. But not all can agree on a number.

Both O’Malley and Sanders have supported raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15.

Clinton, the Democratic leader in the polls, hasn’t specified a number. She voiced support for a $12 minimum wage proposal pushed by U.S. Senator Patty Murray, but didn’t commit to the idea. When asked, Clinton balked at moving the hourly wage floor to $15.

"Let’s not just do it for the sake of having a higher number out there,” Clinton said on July 30, “but let’s actually get behind a proposal that has a chance of succeeding."

Chafee, the former governor of Rhode Island who also served as a Republican U.S. senator, said he’d want to raise minimum wage to $10.10, by 2018. He warned against doubling the minimum wage, saying it would have a “significant adverse effect” on American small businesses.

RETIREE BENEFITS

While both Sanders and O’Malley have called for more benefits and social security-like payments for retirees, Clinton has stayed relatively mum on the topic.

To fund the programs, Sanders and O’Malley have called for tax hikes, primarily on those who earn over $250,000. Sanders has also suggested a tax on capital profits exceeding that figure.

“At a time when the senior poverty rate is going up, we have got to make sure that every American can retire with dignity and respect,” Sanders’ campaign site said.

Debating against Barack Obama in 2008, Clinton said she would not lift a cap on payroll tax, “because that would impose additional taxes on people who are educators, police officers, firefighters and the like.”

She affirmed her commitment to the program that night, adding “I am totally committed to making sure Social Security is solvent.”

Contact Chris Kudialis at ckudialis@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4593. Find him on Twitter: @kudialisrj