The fourth Democratic debate took place this past Tuesday in Westerville, Ohio with 12 candidates taking the stage. Here’s what you need to know.
Attacks on Warren
It’s pretty clear that many of the candidates view Elizabeth Warren, a Senator from Massachusetts, as the new front-runner. She was dodging attacks throughout the night. Several of her opponents called her out on how she plans to pay for Medicare for All, and whether that includes raising taxes for the middle class. One of her critics was former vice president Biden, calling her healthcare plan “vague.” Amy Klobuchar, a Senator from Minnesota, called Warren out several times, claiming that many of the plans Warren campaigns on are a “pipe dream” and aren’t realistically going to get passed in a divided Congress. Despite being in the hot seat, Elizabeth Warren still managed to have a good night overall. She ended up being the candidate to speak the most, although she never did answer the question about how to pay for Medicare for All.
Biden’s Lead Fades
Although Biden is still one of the front-runners in the polls, he has lost his place as the candidate to beat. In previous debates, Biden received fire from many other more moderate candidates. However, during Tuesday’s debates these candidates, like Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, and Kamala Harris, turned their fire towards Warren instead in order to create a contrast between themselves and more extreme candidates. The only time Biden received any heat was when the moderators asked him about his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine, which Donald Trump infamously tried to investigate through the Ukranian government. Biden mostly deflected these questions and none of the candidates pressed him on this.
Klobuchar and Buttigieg Make Room for Moderates
Some of the most impressive performances of the night came from Senator Klobuchar and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana. Both are more moderate candidates and claim to be able to bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans, citing their election victories in the purple Midwest as proof. Both of the candidates went on the offensive. Buttigieg had a powerful moment when he attacked Tulsi Gabbard, a Congresswoman from Hawaii, on foreign policy and the U.S.’s role in Syria. Senator Klobuchar also came at Warren for her wealth tax plan, expressing that America should back a more moderate plan. Klobuchar stated that, “No one on this stage wants to protect billionaires. Not even the billionaire wants to protect billionaires [referencing Tom Steyer]. We just have different approaches, your idea is not the only idea.”
Stay tuned for the next Democratic Debate coming up on November 20th.