It wasn’t particularly diverse in terms of age, socioeconomics (as Buttigieg pointed out), or background. Klobuchar was also forced to defend her record as the top prosecutor in Minnesota's Hennepin County, during which time she oversaw the prosecution of a 16-year-old black boy who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Klobuchar also spent a large chunk of the debate on defense. And unlike the 2016 Republican debates, which were entertaining and watchable but also petty and personal, some of the most fiery moments were also on substantive issues, like the role of money in politics (personified by Bloomberg’s presence on the stage), and some candidates’ records on immigration (which prompted a heated exchange between Klobuchar and Buttigieg).

It seems like Warren needs a miracle to save her campaign, and while strong debate performances haven’t always in the past translated into good polling, Wednesday night was still one hell of a start. But Warren didn't spend much time attacking the frontrunner in the race: Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sen. Elizabeth Warren took the first, and most devastating swings, at Bloomberg and generally dominated the night, including with positive pitches for her policies. Millions rely on Vox’s explainers to understand an increasingly chaotic world. The end of the debate did feature a question on immigration, but the response was dominated by Klobuchar and Buttigieg sparring about experience. Warren's performance drew extensive praise from commentators, and her campaign announced it had its best hour of fundraising to date in the middle of the debate. The top six candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination gathered on a debate stage Wednesday night, just days before the critical Nevada caucuses. The senator from Minnesota retorted at one point, "I wish everyone was as perfect as you, Pete.". since. Sign up for Insider Politics. Former Vice President Joe Biden noted that Bloomberg at one point called the Affordable Care Act "a disgrace," rejected the Obama administration's efforts to rein in his policing tactics in New York, and was first elected mayor as a Republican. Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images. It’s not that Sanders did particularly well, but he didn’t do anything to lose his lead. Account active My winners and losers from the night that was are below. Up until Wednesday, Bloomberg’s campaign had been a grand experiment. The more charitable take is that campaigning is a learned skill, and it’s hard to compete with five grizzled veterans if you’ve spent the bulk of the 2020 primary season buying ads. Later, she pointed out that she — not Buttigieg — has won statewide races, including Republican congressional districts. Bloomberg was attacked over his support for New York’s unconstitutional stop-and-frisk program, and Amy Klobuchar was asked about her role in sentencing a black then-teenage boy to life in prison for a shooting he says he didn’t commit.

Sanders tore into Bloomberg for donating to the campaigns of Republican members of Congress, Buttigieg called Bloomberg and Sanders the two "most polarizing figures on this stage," and Klobuchar accused Bloomberg of "hiding behind his campaign ads.". Bloomberg struggled throughout the debate to make a positive case for his candidacy, instead spending most of his time defending his comments about women, apologizing for stop-and-frisk, and disputing various claims about his record. Later on, Klobuchar faced questions about her prosecution of Myon Burrell, a black teen accused of murder, when she was the top prosecutor in Hennepin County, Minnesota. The feisty tone never really let up, leading to a series of aggressive attacks from one candidate to another rarely seen in the eight previous debates. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders share a laugh at Tuesday’s Democratic debate. The senator described the lapse as a mistake, and Buttigieg jumped in to call it an example of inexcusable ignorance.

Nothing that happened at the Nevada debate really changed that.

The 7 most dramatic, eye-popping moments from the Democratic debate in Las Vegas, pollution disproportionately affects communities of color, black then-teenage boy to life in prison for a shooting, when she was the top prosecutor in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Nevada Democratic debate: February 19, 2020, Culinary Union members seem to have broken from their leaders to back Sanders, Why Klobuchar and Buttigieg fought over the Mexican president’s name. It shouldn’t take a candidate of color to be onstage for a debate to feature substantive discussions of race in America and the unique challenges people of color face, particularly when that debate is in Nevada, where 30 percent of the population is Latinx. Chip in as little as $3 to help keep it free for everyone. Warren, in particular, called him out for not stating clearly in his apologies that the policy seemed to target minority communities: “It targeted communities of color.

Are you mocking me here, Pete?” Klobuchar said. The debate was combative and punctuated by withering attacks from all sides on the newcomer onstage: the billionaire Mike Bloomberg.