The first Democratic debate of 2020 saw six candidates take the stage
The first Democratic Presidential Debate of 2020 was held in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 14. As the smallest debate of this election cycle, the stage hosted six presidential candidates: Former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Senator Amy Klobuchar and philanthropist Tom Steyer.
The night began with the national anthem, which was sung by Drake University student Sarah Rosales. Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Tom Perez followed with a speech targeting President Donald Trump.
“This is the stretch where we come together and decide who will beat Donald Trump — and make no mistake, we will defeat Donald Trump and restore our democracy,” Perez said.
Trump made no public comment regarding Perez’s statement, but shared several tweets on Twitter throughout the debate that opposed the Democratic Party. Various posts called democrats “socialists,” though Sanders is the only candidate that identifies as such.
The candidates discussed healthcare, child insurance, past and present conflicts with Iran, trade deals and climate change. While Sanders, Warren and Biden were the most vocal candidates on the first three topics, Buttigieg pushed his plans forward throughout the debate, emphasizing his youth, religion and military experience as a lieutenant in the US Navy Reserve. He was the only candidate on stage who served in the military.
Several candidates discussed why they would be the best president to deal with rising Iran conflicts. Klobuchar said she respected Buttigieg’s service in Afghanistan, but she believed her experience as a senator made her the better candidate for dealing with such issues. This is a continuation of previous statements the two have made towards each other in previous debates.
“It’s going to take a view to the future, as well as the readiness to learn from the lessons of the past. For me, those lessons of the past are personal,” said Buttigieg.
Biden and Sanders also went head to head on a number of issues, with Sanders critiquing Biden’s vote to enter into the Iraq war during the Bush Administration — an issue Buttigieg seconded. Biden defended himself by acknowledging his vote was a mistake he has learned from.
Warren and Klobuchar leaned into the feminist angle by emphasizing “she/her” pronouns when speaking about the future president and citing their track records compared to their male counterparts.
“I think the best way to talk about who can win is by looking at people’s winning records … Look at the men on this stage,” Warren said. “Collectively, they have lost 10 elections. The only people on this stage who have won every single election that they have been in are the women.”
Warren was among the most talkative speakers on the topic of healthcare and military use. According to her, America puts too much stock into militant use. If elected president, she hopes to cut the budget for the military and Pentagon.
Sanders also spoke on economics, stating repeatedly that “corrupt politicians” need to serve the people better.
While Sanders continued to push his medicare-for-all plan, Buttigieg countered with his own offer. Buttigieg coined his model “medicare for all who want it,” but the plan does not seem to give people an option to opt out of medicare altogether. Rather, Buttigieg said, people would be given the option to keep their preferred healthcare plan, or be enrolled in a nationwide healthcare automatically. Biden plans to continue Obamacare, with minor adjustments he called “the Biden option.”
Steyer had received criticism before the debate started when rumors arose that he donated money to his own cause to get him on stage, taking the place of other democratic candidates. When asked whether his wealth would be a deterrent to some voters, Steyer said no.
“Whoever is going to beat Mr. Trump is going to have to beat him on the economy, and I have the experience and the expertise to show that he’s a fake there and a fraud,” Steyer said.
Although Steyer spent most of the night agreeing with other candidates, he stood out in his focus on climate change, claiming it was his number one priority.
“I would do it from the standpoint of environmental justice and make sure we go to the black and brown communities, where you can’t breathe the air or drink the water that comes out of the tap safely,” Steyer said.
Since the debate, an Iowa caucus poll shows Biden is in the lead with Sanders and Buttigieg following closely behind.