Hillary Clinton shines in Democrat debate

US vice president, Joe Biden faced an altered political dynamic after Hillary Clinton reasserted her command of the Democratic Party race, during a debate that may have left little room for him to run.

Clinton, 67, was hailed by analysts for her nimble, effective performance on Tuesday night, easing the fears of Democrats fretting that the flap over her use of a private email server, while in the Obama administration, was torpedoing her candidacy.

She may have dampened calls for Biden to make a belated entrance into the race, while also blunting the threat from insurgent candidate, Bernie Sanders, a 74-year-old senator from Vermont and self-described democratic socialist.