Here are key takeaways from tonight's debate
Thanks for following the Guardian’s live coverage of the fourth Democratic presidential debate.
Here are some of the main takeaways from the event:
- Elizabeth Warren weathered attacks from a number of her opponents in a clear sign that the Massachusetts senator has assumed frontrunner status in the race.
- Bernie Sanders made an impressive campaign return after his heart attack two weeks ago, declaring himself to be in excellent health and reportedly securing the endorsements of three influential congresswomen.
- Pete Buttigieg went on the attack against several of his opponents, criticizing proposals like Medicare for All and mandatory buybacks of assault weapons for allegedly being unrealistic.
- Joe Biden largely moderated his criticisms of other candidates, with the exception of a moment toward the end of the debate when he confronted Warren and took credit for rallying votes to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Warren responded by instead thanking Barack Obama for helping to make the agency a reality.
- Tom Steyer failed to make a splash in his debate debut, speaking less than any other Democratic candidate.
Make sure to follow our usual live coverage of US politics starting tomorrow morning. We’ll see you at the next debate in Georgia.
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Bernie Sanders now reportedly has the endorsement of three of the four members of “the Squad”, the well-known group of progressive freshman congresswomen.
However, a New York Times reporter highlighted the Squad member who is not endorsing him at this point: representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.
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Beto O’Rourke is continuing his criticism of Pete Buttigieg offstage, arguing that the Indiana mayor relies on “polls” and “consultants” to determine his stances.
Buttigieg argued onstage tonight that O’Rourke’s proposal of a mandatory buyback program for assault weapons was unrealistic, advocating for a focus on more popular proposals like universal background checks.
Meanwhile, more information is simultaneously coming in about candidates’ fundraising numbers from the third quarter.
As a New York Times reporter noted, Joe Biden has fallen behind the other top-polling candidates in cash on hand.
Amy Klobuchar, the Minnesota senator who has based her campaign around appealing to midwestern voters who swung to Trump in 2016, predicted the president would not carry her home state next year.
Trump has reportedly set his sights on Minnesota after narrowly losing the state to Hillary Clinton in 2016, but some of his advisers have privately expressed fears about the president keeping his hold on the rest of the midwest.
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The final count is in, and Elizabeth Warren spoke far more than any other Democratic candidate onstage tonight.
The tally is unsurprising, given how many candidates directly confronted Warren on everything from healthcare to regulation of tech companies.
The Massachusetts senator has clearly taken on frontrunner status and is attracting more attacks from her opponents as a result.
It depends on who you ask, but a range of voices on social media seem to think Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar had good nights – they were seen by some to have been able to lay out their centrist credentials a lot more effectively than they had before.
But not everyone is convinced
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Ilhan Omar endorses Sanders
Representative Ilhan Omar is endorsing the presidential bid of Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator’s campaign announced.
The progressive congresswoman said in a statement released by Sanders’ campaign: “Bernie is leading a working class movement to defeat Donald Trump that transcends generation, ethnicity and geography. ... And it’s why Bernie is fighting to end our forever wars and truly prioritize human rights in our foreign policy—no matter who violates them. And it’s why I believe Bernie Sanders is the best candidate to take on Donald Trump in 2020.”
Sanders similarly praised Omar: “Ilhan is a leader of strength and courage. She will not back down from a fight with billionaires and the world’s most powerful corporations to transform our country so it works for all of us. I’m proud of what we’ve done in Congress, and together we will build a multiracial working class coalition to win the White House.”
Reports emerged tonight that representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -- another member of the so-called “Squad,” a group of four progressive freshman congresswomen -- would endorse Sanders at his Saturday rally in Queens.
The Guardian confirms Ocasio-Cortez will endorse Sanders
The Guardian’s Lauren Gambino has confirmed that representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will endorse Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid at his Saturday rally in Queens.
A Twitter account for a grassroots group that backs Sanders appeared to celebrate the news in a tweet, although the message did not mention the progressive congresswoman by name.
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While the final question of the night was focused on the candidate’s bipartisan friendships, there was from the CNN/New York Times moderators about climate change, LGBTQ rights, immigration or voter suppression.
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Trump campaign releases statement on the debate
Trump’s re-election campaign released a statement on the debate, saying the Democratic candidates threatened to “unravel the hottest economy in modern history”.
The full statement reads: “A dozen Democrats stood on stage tonight and made several things clear. They have always wanted to impeach President Trump, they have always wanted to eliminate employer-provided health insurance, they have always wanted to raise your taxes, and they have always wanted to unravel the hottest economy in modern history.
“Another thing was also clear: Once again, President Trump was the hands-down winner of this debate.”
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The debate has concluded
Answering the question of a surprising friendship he has had, Joe Biden cited his relationship with the late senator John McCain, echoing Amy Klobuchar.
And with that, the debate has ended after more than three hours, running slightly over its allotted time.
The candidates have offered very diverse answers on the question of a surprising friendship that they have had in life.
However, the candidates have also used the final question to plug their campaign websites and upcoming events as a sort of unofficial closing statement.
Joe Biden’s visibly angry reaction to Elizabeth Warren over one of her signature achievements hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“I got you votes!” Biden shouted, referring to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which Warren proposed in 2007 then established under Obama in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
You can watch the moment here:
Ocasio-Cortez reportedly endorsing Sanders
The debate is scheduled to conclude in just a few minutes, but the biggest news right now is happening offstage.
Bernie Sanders has teased the audience about the special guest at his upcoming rally in Queens. The Washington Post is now reporting that the guest will be representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is endorsing the Vermont senator’s presidential bid.
The Post reports:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, one of the most influential voices among young liberals and a rising Democratic star, plans to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for president and appear with him at a rally on Saturday, according to two people with knowledge of her plans.
The surprise endorsement is a political coup for Sanders, 78, who has been fading in the polls and has faced growing questions about his age and health ...
The endorsement could be a blow for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who, like Sanders, is running on a platform of sweeping liberal change and who has emphasized her role as a female pioneer.
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Amy Klobuchar recounted her friendship with the late Republican John McCain, saying she misses her former colleague “every day”.
Beto O’Rourke also cited his friendship with a Republican colleague, specifically representative Will Hurd. The pair participated in a road trip to highlight the ability to cross the political aisle.
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The moderators have reached the final question of this three-hour debate and are turning to the issue of friendship. (Yes, friendship.)
CNN’s Anderson Cooper referenced a recent controversy over talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres appearing to joke around with George W Bush, the Republican president who opposed gay marriage and launched the Iraq war.
The candidates were asked to describe a friendship they have had that would “surprise us”.
Tulsi Gabbard certainly delivered on the surprise element, citing her friendship with former Republican congressman Trey Gowdy, who was in talks this month to join Trump’s team to combat impeachment efforts.
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Meanwhile, Trump is tweeting about the impeachment inquiry, falsely arguing that the whistleblower who raised concerns about his Ukraine call has been proven wrong on key points.
In reality, the White House’s own memo on the call confirmed key aspects of the whistleblower’s account. Namely, Trump discussed a possible investigation of Joe Biden with the Ukrainian president and encouraged the foreign leader to work with his attorney general and Rudy Giuliani to investigate corruption.
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are presenting a united front in defending their progressive vision for the country.
The team effort is notable given that Warren has pulled ahead of Sanders in recent polls.
However, that trend has not stopped Sanders from consistently siding with his Senate colleague on issues like Medicare for All.
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Warren slights Biden by thanking Obama
Joe Biden went after Elizabeth Warren by saying that he helped secure the votes to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which the Massachusetts senator was citing as one of her accomplishments.
Asked to respond, Warren said she was so grateful to Barack Obama for making the CFPB a reality, prompting some gasps in the press room here in Westerville.
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Biden says Warren, Sanders are 'vague' on Medicare for All
Joe Biden has been asked whether the “visions” offered by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren would be able to attract enough voters to defeat Trump.
The former vice-president initially answered by focusing on the alleged lack of feasibility in passing the pair’s proposals. Biden said he was the only person onstage who has gotten something “really big” enacted.
When specifically pressed on who was being “vague”, as Biden claimed, he cited Warren and Sanders’ comments about Medicare for All.
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On the question of reproductive rights, Tulsi Gabbard said she supported “some restrictions” on access to abortion.
Joe Biden defended reproductive rights as a “constitutional right” but voiced opposition to the idea of expanding the number of supreme court justices to protect Roe v Wade.
Pete Buttigieg, who has backed the idea of so-called “court-packing”, argued that the proposal would actually help to “depoliticize” the judicial branch.
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Andrew Yang has caught the attention of debate watchers tonight by reminding them that Bing – Microsoft’s search engine – still exists.
But it’s not good news for the plucky Google rival, as Yang reserved one of his most withering put downs of the night for it.
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Moderators ask reproductive rights question
CNN’s Erin Burnett is asking candidates about reproductive rights, implicitly responding to critics who have complained about the lack of questions on the topic this election cycle.
Kamala Harris said her justice department would review any state law that seeks to limit access to abortion.
Amy Klobuchar criticized Trump’s stance on the issue and argued for the necessity of funding Planned Parenthood.
Bernie Sanders has fuelled speculation after mentioning that he will be joined by a very special guest at his rally in Queens this Saturday.
Who could it be? Here are some of the predictions being made:
Kamala Harris has become the latest candidate to directly take on Elizabeth Warren, this time on the issue of Trump’s Twitter account.
Harris has pushed Twitter to shutter the president’s account, arguing that it is a matter of “corporate accountability”.
Warren responded to Harris’ confrontation by saying she wanted to focus on kicking Trump out of the White House and noted she was not taking money from tech executives.
Repeatedly pressed by Harris, Warren kept redirecting attention away from the matter of Trump’s Twitter account and toward the issue of money in politics, arguing tech companies had too much political influence.
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Elizabeth Warren has repeatedly found herself at odds tonight with, among several other candidates, Andrew Yang.
The tech entrepreneur argued that the Massachusetts senator’s proposal to break up tech companies would not sufficiently revive America’s economy amid the decline of manufacturing jobs.
Warren responded by emphasizing that a Democratic president would need to crack down on monopolies regardless.
We have reached the second commercial break of the Democratic debate, which gives the blog a chance to zoom out on what we have seen so far.
Pete Buttigieg has repeatedly attempted to reframe the debate in terms of his more moderate proposals, repeatedly attacking Elizabeth Warren on issues like healthcare.
His strategy emphasizes how the Indiana mayor is trying to pitch himself to voters as an alternative to Joe Biden.
At the two-hour mark of a three-hour debate, only a few candidates have briefly mentioned the climate crisis.
Tom Steyer pivoted from a question about foreign policy to call Trump’s complete lack of climate policies a “disaster” and argue that the US needs to work with the world to fight rising heat-trapping pollution. Bernie Sanders said fossil fuel companies are destroying the world and should be held liable. Pete Buttigieg touted the opportunities of wind power.
But moderators still haven’t asked any climate questions.
Previous debates have included short segments on the climate crisis, near the end of the allotted time.
Climate activists have feared television networks and moderators might not focus much on the issue, after presidential hopefuls participated in two separate climate events last month.
In those events – a town hall and a forum – candidates did not interact with one another because the Democratic National Committee has refused to allow a climate-focused debate.
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Joe Biden, who the moderators noted would turn 80 during his first term, handled the question about his health by emphasizing the “wisdom” that comes with his age.
The former vice president reiterated his promise to release his health records before voting begins in Iowa, the first caucus state.
When pressed on whether he would release the records this year, Biden would not commit to that timeline and instead repeated that he would release them before Iowa voting starts.
Sanders: 'I'm healthy, I'm feeling great'
Bernie Sanders was trying to jump into a conversation about the opioid epidemic when moderator Erin Burnett interjected with a question about his health.
Sanders, who suffered a heart attack earlier this month, said: “I’m healthy, I’m feeling great.” He then pivoted to answer the opioid question.
Turning to the issue of his health, Sanders plugged his upcoming rally in Queens, New York. He predicted that the event would settle any concerns about his health.
Sanders then took the time to thank his fellow candidates “from the bottom of my heart” for their well wishes after his heart attack. He said: “I’m so happy to be with you this evening.”
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Julián Castro mentioned the killing of Atatiana Jefferson in his home state of Texas over the weekend.
The death of Jefferson, an African-American woman who was fatally shot by a police officer as she babysat her nephew, has sparked outrage in recent days.
And now, on a sartorial note ... Tom Steyer’s tie has come under more fire tonight than Elizabeth Warren. At least that’s how it seems looking at the reactions on Twitter:
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An NPR reporter shared this very fun fact about a unique connection between two of the Democrats participating in tonight’s debate.
Two of the more moderate candidates onstage, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, pushed back against the proposal of mandatory buybacks of assault weapons.
But the pair emphasized that they have not backed the idea principally because they did not consider it feasible to pass such a proposal.
O'Rourke and Buttigieg clash over guns
Beto O’Rourke was pressed on how he would enforce his mandatory buyback program of assault weapons.
O’Rourke has said he would track down the guns that are not turned in through the program, but he struggled to explain how he would do so.
Pete Buttigieg, who had previously criticized O’Rourke’s proposal, said the former Texas congressman had shown in his answer that the idea was unrealistic.
Buttigieg said that the country “can’t wait” for gun control reform, arguing that candidates should focus on more popular proposals like universal background checks.
On the issue of proposing bold change, Buttigieg told O’Rourke: “I don’t need lessons from you on courage.”
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Tulsi Gabbard has been accused by some debate viewers of following a pro-Assad line in her response to Trump’s controversial withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria.
This is what she said (while defending herself against claims of being an “Assad apologist”):
And here’s how people have responded:
However some commentators have praised her for her proposal, including the editorial director of the Nation:
Meanwhile, this was Pete Buttigieg’s response to Gabbard:
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Steyer brings up the climate crisis
Tom Steyer chose to redirect the conversation toward the climate crisis.
Asked a question about foreign policy, the billionaire activist said Trump’s policies had been a “disaster” but then pivoted to discussing the climate.
Steyer said: “We can’t solve the climate crisis in the US by ourselves, but we have to work with our allies and our frenemies around the world.”
(Yes, he did indeed say “frenemies”.)
- This post was amended on 16 October 2019. The headline of an earlier version incorrectly said Tom Steyer was the first candidate to raise the issue of the climate crisis. This has been corrected.
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Calling upon his long record as a senator and vice-president, Joe Biden used his foreign policy answer to note he was the only candidate who has spent extensive time with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.
Biden explained the threat Putin poses to America while gesturing to his right, where Bernie Sanders is standing. Sanders responded by joking that Biden was calling him Putin, prompting laughs from the candidates and the audience.
On a more serious note, Biden warned that Trump was putting the country in danger by being a “crazy, erratic president who knows not a damn thing about foreign policy”.
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With the exception of Tulsi Gabbard, the Democratic presidential candidates have been largely unified in their criticism of Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria.
Kamala Harris said Trump “sold out the Kurds”, and the decision demonstrated “why dude gotta go”.
Julián Castro emphasized reports that the troop withdrawal, and the subsequent military action by Turkey, had allowed at least hundreds of people held at Isis prisons to escape.
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Two veterans onstage spar over Syria
The two veterans onstage, Pete Buttigieg and Tulsi Gabbard, clashed over the proper course of action in Syria.
Gabbard argued Buttigieg was fueling endless wars in the Middle East, but the Indiana mayor shot back that the Hawaii congresswoman was “wrong” and backing the abandonment of critical US allies.
Moderators are now questioning the candidates about Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria.
Joe Biden said that the troop withdrawal was the “most shameful thing any president has done in modern history”.
Tulsi Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran who has criticized America’s ongoing wars in the Middle East, said that the blame for what is happening in Syria did not solely belong to Trump.
The Hawaii congresswoman argued that other politicians had fueled the violent situation in Syria.
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As we head into the second half of the debate, here is how much each candidate has spoken so far, via the New York Times’ live tracker
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Here are the key takeaways from the debate so far:
- Democratic candidates are ganging up on Elizabeth Warren now that the Massachusetts senator has assumed frontrunner status.
- Joe Biden denied any wrongdoing by himself or his son in Hunter Biden’s business dealings overseas, forcefully pushing back against Trump’s false corruption claims.
- Two candidates, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, raised the issue of reproductive rights because debate moderators have yet to ask a specific question about it.
The first commercial break has ended, so stay tuned.
Even Beto O’Rourke is going after Elizabeth Warren, which is interesting given that he is far less moderate than candidates like Pete Buttigieg or Amy Klobuchar.
The former Texas congressman said the Massachusetts senator was too focused on “being punitive”.
As the debate turns to wealth inequality Tom Steyer – the only billionaire on stage – finally gets his say.
He has waited 40 minutes to get into the debate and uses it to hit out at the power of corporations. It’s met with mixed results:
And as Guardian US columnist Robert Reich has also pointed out, Warren’s follow-up was particularly punchy:
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A HuffPost reporter noted that Amy Klobuchar’s strategy of attacking Elizbaeth Warren at every turn has been tried at previous debates, namely by John Delaney, and has proven to be ... less than successful.
Amy Klobuchar really wants a fight with Elizabeth Warren. Asked about a wealth tax, Klobuchar instead pivoted to provide a “reality check” to Warren.
The Minnesota senator accused Warren of falsely portraying other candidates’ plans and presenting her proposals as the only option.
Moderators tried to draw a fight out between Joe Biden and candidates like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren who have endorsed a wealth tax.
But the former vice-president did not take the bait, instead emphasizing that billionaires should pay more in taxes.
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This was Joe Biden’s response when asked about his son Hunter’s business dealings in Ukraine, which have been the target of many false claims by Trump:
Sanders and billionaire Steyer agree on wealth tax
Candidates are now taking a question on American income inequality. Specifically, the moderators asked Bernie Sanders about his proposed wealth tax.
Pressed on whether the plan is intended to tax billionaires out of existence, Sanders argued that the country’s current level of income inequality is a “moral and economic outrage”.
The moderators then turned to Tom Steyer, whom they identified as the only billionaire onstage. But the wealthy activist echoed Sanders’ demand for a wealth tax to combat income inequality.
The campaign of Pete Buttigieg is amplifying the Indiana mayor’s attack on Elizabeth Warren by tweeting a video of him criticizing the frontrunner’s healthcare proposal.
Cory Booker interestingly used one of his answers to chastise the moderators for asking Joe Biden about his son’s business activities overseas.
The New Jersey senator said that the moderators were “using Trump’s lies” by raising the issue and argued Biden should not have to defend himself against false corruption claims.
A feature of tonight’s debate is how the more centrist candidates have turned their early fire on Elizabeth Warren. As the candidate with the most momentum it seems she has also become the focus of most of the early attacks, particularly over her healthcare plan.
Here’s how some commentators are interpreting the centrist charge
Harris, Booker raise the issue of reproductive rights
Kamala Harris interrupted the contentious conversation about Medicare-for-all to demand more attention be given to reproductive rights.
The California senator noted that debate moderators have yet to ask a question specifically about reproductive rights, and Harris argued that Republicans were putting women’s lives at risk with restrictive abortion policies.
Minutes later, Cory Booker similarly said that the candidates should devote more attention to reproductive rights tonight. The New Jersey senator praised Harris for raising the issue but said that men should also be actively engaged in the fight for reproductive rights.
Warren and Sanders team up once again
Bernie Sanders appears to be once again taking the side of Elizabeth Warren as the two progressive senators team up against their more moderate opponents.
Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg all criticized Warren for endorsing a costly Medicare for All plan that they called unrealistic.
Sanders, who has based his campaign around Medicare for All, jumped in to argue that the current US healthcare system was unsustainable and that Americans deserved better.
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The knives are out for Elizabeth Warren tonight now that the Massachusetts senator has taken the frontrunner title.
Amy Klobuchar repeatedly criticized Warren for being allegedly unrealistic about what she would be able to achieve in healthcare reform if she were president.
The Minnesota senator said that the distinction between Medicare-for-all and her healthcare proposal, which focuses on enacting a public option, is the “difference between a plan and a pipe dream.”
Candidates hammer Warren on her healthcare plan
Bernie Sanders acknowledged in his healthcare answer that taxes would go up if his Medicare-for-all plan were enacted.
Elizabeth Warren responded to Sanders by once again emphasizing costs over taxes and repeating that costs would go down overall for the middle class with her plan.
Amy Kobuchar, echoing Pete Buttigieg, accused Warren of dodging the cost question. The Minnesota senator said: “At least Bernie is being honest.”
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Buttigieg accuses Warren of dodging on healthcare question
The moderators have quickly moved on from the question of Hunter Biden’s business activities and posed a question to Elizabeth Warren about how she would pay for her healthcare plan.
Repeatedly pressed on whether she would raise taxes on the middle class to pay for her Medicare for All plan, Warren said: “I will not sign a bill into law that will not lower costs for middle-class families.”
The moderators noted that Pete Buttigieg has accused Warren of being evasive on the question of paying for her plan. Buttigieg said that Warren had once again refused to answer “yes” or “no” to a “yes or no” question.
Warren responded that Buttigieg’s “Medicare for All who want it” plan is really a “Medicare for All who can afford it” plan, which Buttigieg pushed back against.
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Biden questioned about his son's business activities
Joe Biden was asked a question about the foreign business activities of his son, Hunter, and why he considered it appropriate for his family to do such work overseas when he was president.
Emphasizing that there is no evidence to substantiate Trump’s corruption claims against him or his son, Biden said: “My son did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong. I carried out the policy of the United States government.”
Biden argued that Trump was peddling these false corruption claims because he is scared to run against the former vice president. Biden said that, if nominated, Trump knows “I will beat him like a drum”.
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Tom Steyer is making his debate debut tonight, and he opened his answer on impeachment by applauding his Democratic opponents, saying that any of them would make a better president than Trump.
Steyer first rose to prominence by pushing for Trump’s impeachment long before news of the Ukraine controversy broke, and the billionaire activist hopes to build upon that name recognition tonight.
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Pete Buttigieg said that Trump’s behavior and the inaction of congressional Republicans had left Democrats with no choice but to pursue impeachment.
However, the Indiana mayor emphasized that candidates had to focus on what they would do after Trump left office.
Buttigieg said that, as president, he would help the country “turn the page” and achieve change.
Amy Klobuchar said Trump had engaged in “illegal conduct” in his communications with the Ukrainian president.
But the Minnesota senator then shifted to a much more sweeping condemnation of the president, citing his decision to withdraw US forces from northern Syria and abandon America’s Kurdish allies.
Klobuchar concluded that Trump had consistently placed his personal interests above those of the country.
Harris on impeachment: 'I know a confession when I see it'
Calling upon her record as a former prosecutor, Kamala Harris said that Trump has told the American people about the ways in which he has violated the constitution.
Harris said of Trump’s comments on his controversial Ukraine call: “I know a confession when I see it.”
The memo the White House released on the call proved that Trump discussed a possible investigation of Joe Biden with the Ukrainian president.
The impeachment question is now being posed to other candidates, starting with Bernie Sanders.
The Vermont senator said that Trump has ignored the constitution in a number of ways, including by holding onto his business interests in alleged violation of the emoluments clause.
Joe Biden, who was in the Senate during Bill Clinton’s impeachment, said that he thought Democrats have been appropriately deliberative when it comes to considering the president’s removal.
First question on impeachment goes to Warren
The first question goes to Elizabeth Warren, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked why she supported Trump’s impeachment with the 2020 election a year away. Cooper asked if it should be the American electorate who “determines the president’s fate.”
Warren responded that some issues go beyond politics and that the alleged constitutional violations Trump has committed would send a message to all future presidents about the country’s democratic values.
Warren concluded: “The impeachment must go forward.”
Debate starts
The fourth Democratic presidential debate, featuring the largest field to ever share one stage, has begun.
Here is how to watch the debate
The candidates are taking the stage and the debate is set to start in about five minutes, so here is how you can watch it.
Tonight’s debate at Otterbein University in Ohio is being jointly hosted by CNN and the New York Times and can be streamed on both outlets’ websites.
The moderators are CNN hosts Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett and Times national editor Marc Lacey. The event marks the first debate the Times has hosted in more than a decade.
And the blog will be providing lives updates and analysis on the candidates’ answers, so stay tuned.
Candidates take the stage
The dozen Democratic presidential candidates participating in tonight’s debate are taking the stage at Otterbein University in Ohio.
Spare a thought for the Rosencrantzes and Guildensterns of the Democratic primary tonight: the half-dozen candidates who didn’t make the debate stage but are still running for president. If you think Julián Castro or Tulsi Gabbard are long shots, these are astronomical.
Some of them will doubtless be watching from afar; others are defiantly holding rival events likely to draw rather less national attention. Self-help author Marianne Williamson, for example, will be speaking about “the spirit of America” to an audience in Encinitas, California.
Senator Michael Bennet is holding a town hall in Iowa tonight, then heading to New Hampshire, where former congressman Joe Sestak is on day three of an epic walk. Sestak has also just launched a campaign ad, “United”, that emphasises his military background and how he entered politics after his daughter overcame brain cancer.
But the debate will be a sharp reminder that time is running out for former congressman John Delaney, first to enter the race in July 2017, Governor Steve Bullock and Congressman Tim Ryan – all of whom are presumably still hoping that Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar will somehow implode, leaving the centre lane open.
Delaney embarks on his 37th trip to Iowa this week. According to the Washington Post, Bullock had a withering putdown when asked about this week’s debate. “We may well be, like two-thirds of Iowans, not even watching,” he told reporters.
The dozen Democratic presidential candidates participating tonight will take the Ohio stage in just fifteen minutes, and they are offering previews of their performances over Twitter.
Joe Biden made clear he intended to focus attention away from the false corruption claims Trump has leveled against him:
Elizabeth Warren reiterated her demand for “big, structural change”:
Bernie Sanders criticized Trump for “demonizing” Latinos and immigrants:
And Kamala Harris went over her debate notes in a very liberally blue suit:
Sanders makes his campaign return after heart attack
Bernie is back! After being hospitalized for a heart attack earlier this month, Bernie Sanders, 78, needs to assuage concerns about is health and age and convince he is mentally and physically fit to be president, one of the most demanding jobs in the world.
Health has always been treated with delicately on the campaign trail, but Sanders health scare places a new emphasis on a delicate question: how old is too old to be president?
In recent interviews, Sanders has parried questions about whether he is physically well enough to stand for a three-hour debate as complex questions are volleyed among a debate stage with 11 rivals.
A proud, one-time long distance runner, the senator has indicated that he intends to be a vision of vim and vigor on the debate stage Tuesday night.
The candidate has been off the trail since he experienced chest pains at an event 1 Oct. event in Las Vegas and had two stents to clear an artery blockage. He has been recuperating at his home in Burlington.
Supporters and allies believe Sanders health problems could provide an opportunity for the senator to make a more personal case for his signature healthcare policy, Medicare for all. Sanders has struggled to connect his policy with his personal story, even as his campaign has tried to coax him into conveying his softer side.
Sanders, who repeatedly polls third in national and state primary surveys, has fiercely defended his campaign’s handling of the incident, amid criticism over it’s decision not to immediately disclose that the senator suffered a heart attack.
The Democrats could not be making history tonight for packing the most presidential candidates ever onto a single debate stage were it not for the participation of every single one of the 12 contenders.
But there is one candidate to whom extra credit might properly accrue for making the Democratic dozen happen tonight, and she is representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. Because to be here, Gabbard had to overcome her own threat, made just days ago, not to be here.
Last Friday, Gabbard released a video saying “I’m seriously considering boycotting the next debate” because, she claimed, the Democratic party “and the corporate media are rigging the election again.” Like Donald Trump, who likes to float conspiracies about “rigged” elections, Gabbard did not go into specifics.
The difference between Trump and Gabbard is that Trump won, while Gabbard is polling at less than 1% nationally and appears to be a longshot to qualify for the next debate in November.
In any case on Monday she announced that she would debate after all.
Senator Amy Klobuchar promptly dunked on her on Twitter.
Here are the candidates participating tonight
The debate is now about 30 minutes away, so it seems like a good time to reintroduce each of the candidates who will be participating tonight.
Here they are, in order of their podium placement from center stage:
- Joe Biden, the former vice president who has become the focus of false corruption allegations by Trump and his allies in recent weeks.
- Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator who has started to creep ahead of Biden in early voting states as the Democratic base responds to her progressive message.
- Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator and two-time presidential candidate who is making his campaign return tonight after suffering a heart attack earlier this month.
- Pete Buttigieg, the millennial mayor from Indiana who seems to be offering himself as a fresher alternative to Biden.
- Kamala Harris, the California senator and former state attorney general who has promised to prosecute the case against Trump but has fallen behind in recent polling.
- Andrew Yang, the tech entrepreneur has pulled ahead of more “establishment” candidates with his campaign promise of a universal basic income.
- Cory Booker, the New Jersey senator who enjoyed a fundraising boost late last month after warning he may have to drop out of the race if he did not see an uptick in donations.
- Beto O’Rourke, the former Texas congressman and Senate candidate who has increasingly focused on gun control since the mass shooting in his hometown of El Paso in August.
- Tom Steyer, the billionaire activist who rose to prominence by advocating for Trump’s impeachment and is now making his debate debut after a late campaign launch.
- Amy Klobuchar, the Minnesota senator who has based her campaign around appealing to Midwestern voters who swung from Barack Obama in 2012 to Trump in 2016.
- Tulsi Gabbard, the Hawaii congresswoman who threatened to boycott tonight’s debate over her claim that the Democratic National Committee is “rigging” the election.
- Julian Castro, the former San Antonio mayor and housing and urban development secretary who launched an uneven attack on Biden during the last debate.
All 12 of those candidates will soon face off on one debate stage here in Westerville, Ohio, so stay tuned.
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Tonight the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination converges on Ohio, where 12 candidates will meet on a debate stage at Otterbein University in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus.
For decades, Ohio has been the consummate presidential battleground. No president since John F Kennedy has won the White House without the Buckeye State.
The state once represented the crossroads of the nation, a place where Appalachia meets the Midwest, where industry and agriculture prosper and where growing suburbs surrounded diverse urban centers.
But its status as the nation’s bellwether has faded in recent years as Ohio has failed to keep pace with the demographic changes transforming the country. The state is now older, whiter and less educated than the national average, and as a result, has become more reliably Republican.
Donald Trump won Ohio by 8.5 percentage points, the widest margin of any “swing” state. The margin of victory in traditional battleground states is typically much closer, as it was in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, the three Midwestern states that delivered Trump the White House. By comparison, Hillary Clinton lost the traditional Republican strongholds of Arizona and Georgia by 3.5 percentage points and 5 percentage points respectively.
And last year, every Ohio Democrat running a statewide race lost, except for senator Sherrod Brown, who won re-election and nearly used that victory to run for president on the strength of his ability to win as a populist in the Rust Belt. That same year Democrats won governorships in Wisconsin and Michigan after losing the states to Trump in 2016.
Some Ohio Democrats insist the state is still in play for Democrats, noting Trump’s unpopularity here. A recent Emerson poll of Ohio voters found that Trump’s approval rating in Ohio hovered at 43% with a disapproval of 51%, mirroring his national approval rating. Meanwhile, 47% of Ohio voters said they supported impeachment, compared with 43% who said they did not.
But the demographics here make it difficult for Democrats to succeed.
“Ohio being selected as a debate site is a nice consolation prize. But don’t mistake it as a fundamental shift in the 2020 political map,” Bret Larkin, the former editorial director of the Plain Dealer, wrote in an op-ed. “And Ohioans should not expect to see much of the party’s nominee in the crucial months of next August, September and October.”
Read more on why Democrats are meeting tonight in Westerville:
Schiff: Trump's Ukraine call 'didn't happen in isolation'
As we prepare for the debate to start in less than an hour, we are also following updates from House Democratic leaders’ press conference on Capitol Hill about the impeachment inquiry.
Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House intelligence committee, said the panel’s closed-door interviews in recent days has made it seem like Trump’s controversial phone call with the Ukrainian president “didn’t happen in isolation.”
Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, took a seat with reporters as Schiff provided an update on the impeachment investigation.
Four candidates face threat of failing to qualify for next debate
Twelve candidates will participate in tonight’s debate, but only two-thirds of them have secured their place in the next face-off.
The fifth Democratic presidential debate will take place on November 20 in Georgia, and only eight candidates – Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Andrew Yang, Cory Booker and Tom Steyer – have qualified so far.
The other four candidates on tonight’s stage – Beto O’Rourke, Amy Klobuchar, Tulsi Gabbard and Julián Castro – have not yet met the polling requirement for the next debate.
In order to qualify, O’Rourke and Klobuchar both need at least three more polls where they receive 3 percent or more nationally or in one of the four early-voting states. Gabbard and Castro each need at least four more qualifying polls because neither of them has any yet. (Candidates can also qualify by reaching at least 5 percent in two polls of the early-voting states.)
The four contenders have until November 13 to meet the requirement, but even with four weeks to hit the goal, it will be a difficult climb. Their best chance at winning a spike in polling might be to pull an attention-grabbing stunt at tonight’s debate, perhaps by confronting one of the frontrunners like Biden or Warren. So stay tuned to see if it happens.
Millions of debate viewers will likely have the same question on their minds when the candidates take the stage tonight: Who’s the new guy?
This is supposed to be a process of elimination, and through three previous debates, the Democratic field has indeed shrunk. But the debate stage will expand temporarily on Tuesday to admit one new face, billionaire activist Tom Steyer.
Steyer, 62, who made a fortune as a hedge fund manager, is a favorite in progressive circles not only for championing causes such as climate activism and the impeachment of Donald Trump, but also for putting his money where his mouth is. He has donated hundreds of millions of dollars over the years to progressive causes.
What has some Democrats feeling a bit miffed tonight is that now Steyer is ... putting his mouth where his money is and stepping forward as a presidential candidate himself.
The American public will see Steyer in debate form for the first time tonight. What will they hear when he opens his mouth – an activist’s resolve or a rich man’s hubris?
Democrats prepare to face off in largest presidential primary debate ever
Hello, live blog readers!
Welcome to part four of the Democratic presidential debate series. The Guardian is here at the debate site of Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, just outside of Columbus. Our team will be bringing you live updates and analysis as the 12 candidates participating tonight face off in the largest presidential primary debate in history.
The debate will get under way at 8pm ET. Before it starts, my colleagues and I will provide some context on each of the candidates onstage, those who did not qualify and the significance of the debate location. To start, read my five expectations for tonight’s event.
The Guardian team will have plenty more analysis before the debate starts, so stay tuned.
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