The Democratic presidential candidates had yet another debate on Tuesday night, and the candidates had another chance to convince voters that they’re the top choice for the upcoming primary vote.
Candidates on the stage included former Vice President Joe Biden, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and businessman Tom Steyer.
Each of the candidates had their moment to shine, but there were big moments from specific candidates. Here’s a breakdown of six highlights from the night.
There were a lot of one-liners
- Tuesday night’s debate featured a number of one-liners from candidates, including Biden, Buttigieg, Warren and Klobuchar. Even Bloomberg had a few (though they noticeably fell flat with the audience). The one-liners came as the candidates looked to undermine each other and attack one another as the campaign becomes more fiery and less fun.
Buttigieg is the smoothest performer
- Buttigieg didn’t have the best moments on Tuesday night, but he talked really smoothly when he debated. He seemed well prepared throughout the night. There were a handful of moments where you knew he wanted to speak more about what he wanted to talk about. He also opened up about the future, pivoting away from the other candidates oftentimes.
Warren still hits hard
- Warren still hit hard on Bloomberg, which she did in the previous debate in Las Vegas. Several times throughout the night, Warren attacked various candidates. She chimed in when she could, following the pattern of an attack dog. This fits her brand and her candidacy of working to take on Wall Street and billionaires.
Sanders still a big draw
- Sanders was one of the more charismatic candidates of the night. His competitors slammed him at almost any moment they could. He wouldn’t always get a chance to respond so viewers could easily be waiting to see what he said next. He was a big draw for many. He didn’t answer everything perfectly but he was always in the conversation. He’s still the frontrunner and still the big draw here.
Klobuchar calmed the waters
- Klobuchar served an important role on Tuesday night. Whenever the debate got hectic, she calmed the seas and offered reasonable statements. She talked about the Democratic Party’s interest in defeating President Donald Trump and how they would need someone from the midwest (she’s from Minnesota) to help do it. She offered a calming presence over the night, which will surely cement her as a moderate candidate.
The questions were oddly specific
- CBS didn’t have the best questions. Several of them were oddly specific that looked to shift the debate toward more dramatic moments and not any major policy issues. The debate erupted into crazy conversation and no one could really hear each other. The result was lots of talking and few moments of good moderation. Candidates were battling for speaking time, but CBS didn’t do a good job controlling some of these moments.