The Her Campus Guide to the Democratic Debate

Following the first of six Democratic debates, it is important to review what exactly happened during the hectic two hours of prime-time debating. Hopefully, taking a closer look at each individual candidate and their respective performances will make the plethora of political jargon and competition more understandable.

Hillary Clinton: Former Secretary of State and Current Democratic Frontrunner

Despite the past few weeks of scandal, Clinton is still in the lead for the Democratic nomination; therefore, before the debate even began, she had outstanding pressure to perform in order to maintain her title as frontrunner. In her introduction, Secretary Clinton noted her distinctions as First Lady, Senator of New York, and Secretary of State. She then outlined her most important policies – namely addressing income inequality, climate change, the tax system, and equal pay for women in the workforce. Perhaps one of her strongest moments came in a memorable quote regarding the possibility of paid family leave: “It’s always the Republicans or their sympathizers who say you can’t have paid leave; you can’t provide health care. They don’t mind having big government to interfere with a woman’s right to choose and to try to take down Planned Parenthood. They’re fine with big government when it comes to that. I’m sick of it!” Overall, Hillary Clinton showed superiority in her debate skills, and will most likely remain the Democratic frontrunner for the time being.

Bernie Sanders: Democratic-Socialist Senator of Vermont

As Sanders has recently been gaining popularity, he was also highly expected to give a strong performance in the debate. Throughout, he made his far-left policies extremely clear: Policies must benefit the middle class, target the top 1%, address campaign finance reform, curb climate change, and reform the broken criminal justice system. Although he stood his ground and argued his points relatively well, his most memorable moment was on the topic of Hillary Clinton’s email scandal.  Sanders sharply retorted, “The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails. Enough of the emails. Let’s talk about the real issues facing America.” This quick, unscripted line was extremely powerful in showing Sanders’ motivation to not only stick to the issues, but to also get Clinton off the hook amidst her recent scandal. Overall, Bernie Sanders debated very strongly and communicated his position on a “political revolution” in favor of Socialist-leaning policies.

Martin O’Malley: Former Mayor of Baltimore and Governor of Maryland

The candidate trying to make a name for himself as the young face of the Democratic Party, Martin O’Malley, worked to debate strongly and to show that his experiences qualify him for the job. He was able to clearly demonstrate how, as a Mayor and Governor, he supported gun control, higher wages, reformed education, marriage equality, climate change, and immigration reform. He concluded by uniting the Democratic Party, noting, “On this stage, you didn’t hear anyone denigrate women; you didn’t hear anyone make racist comments about new immigrants; you didn’t hear anyone speak ill of anyone because of their religious beliefs,”  a comment that intentionally contrasted with the past two Republican debates. In general, Governor O’Malley had a few notable moments but will still face a challenge in differentiating himself within the Democratic Party.  

Jim Webb: Former Secretary of the Navy and Senator of Virginia

One of the Democrats in the race struggling to make a name for himself is Senator Jim Webb, who had a mediocre debate night. His main flaw was in the time he spent complaining about the few questions directed at him, rather than spending time discussing his actual policies. He stated throughout: “Anderson, can I come into this discussion at some point?”, “I’ve been standing over here for about ten minutes, trying”, and “I’m trying to set a mark here, so maybe we can get into a little more later on. This hasn’t been equal time.” When discussing substantive issues, Webb noted his history of working across the aisle in favor of bipartisanship, and making his priority the success of the working class. Largely, Webb presented himself as a knowledgeable veteran and Senator; however, he will have to work hard to make himself stand out.

Lincoln Chafee: Former Governor of Rhode Island

Former Mayor, Senator, and Governor, Lincoln Chafee, introduced himself as a practiced politician with a history of getting policies passed. As he stated, “All through these almost 30 years of public service, I have had no scandals.” However, Chafee’s biggest political blunder during the debate was his answer regarding the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999, which he voted in favor of repealing. He responded, “Glass-Steagall was my very first vote. I’d just arrived; my dad had died in office.” Largely, Chafee admitted to voting on an act that he knew little about, simply because the majority was voting the same; his credibility faltered throughout the debate, as he struggled to argue in favor of his policies and fend off direct attacks. There is plenty of discussion regarding whether or not Chafee will remain in the race after his mediocre debate performance.

As the race continues, it will be interesting to watch the relationship between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, especially in upcoming debates. For now, Clinton remains the strong frontrunner within the party.

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