On October 15, the Democratic candidates for President gathered in Ohio for the fourth Democratic debate. Earlier, on October 1, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont was rushed to the hospital after a heart attack, enforcing the main worry that his health and his old age would make him unfit for the Presidency. During the debate, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Vice President Joe Biden faced the same criticism. Prior to the debate, many voters were unable to see the political differences between Sanders and Warren. Warren had also secured her first lead over Sanders, right behind front-runner Biden. With Warren’s campaign on the rise, CNN stated that “the movement toward Warren is not attrition from Biden, but of lower-tier candidates losing supporters who have gone to Warren or, in lesser numbers, to Sanders.”
Heading into the debate with no opening statements, the moderators stuck to questions of minor disagreement. Questioning about the impeachment inquiry into President Trump took fifteen minutes and was a reminder that everyone on the stage wanted Trump gone. Each candidate took the time to warm up, which robbed viewers of real policy debate time. Following the theme of corruption, Biden was grilled on his son, Hunter Biden, and his involvement in Ukraine.
When the conversation turned to healthcare, Sanders and Warren led the charge in favor of Medicare for All, while the other candidates took the time to tear the idea apart. One noticeable difference in this debate was that Warren, who has surged in polls, was being torn down every step of the way by moderate candidates such as Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Senator Amy Klobuchar, former Congressman Beto O’Rourke, and Biden. The healthcare debate put Warren at the center of highly negative attention, centered around her refusal to acknowledge that her Medicare for All plan may raise taxes on the middle class. Yet whenever the debate got too intense, it seemed that New Jersey Senator Cory Booker was always there to play referee, using his time to remind audiences of the importance of unity in the party rather than pursuing his own political points.
Though several disagreements were shown throughout the night, one topic revealed the opposite policies of entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Sanders. When discussing automation, Sanders maintained his promise of providing new jobs through a Green New Deal, while Yang repeated his policy of a universal basic income of a thousand dollars every month. This sparked a brief debate between Sanders and Yang, giving audiences a chance to see two opposite strategies, a sight rarely seen on the 2020 Democratic stage.
On the subject of foreign policy, the main issue was the Turkish invasion of Syria after President Trump pulled US troops out of Syria. The question was met with a general agreement that Trump’s plan was wrong. Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard criticized politicians who have supported the “regime change war,” while Buttigieg argued that the tragedy in Syria was “a consequence of a withdrawal and a betrayal,” instead of a consequence of American presence.
On the issue of gun violence, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro shone. The conversation was divided between plans for a mandatory buyback of assault weapons and more moderate plans. The former secretary landed a fair point against mandatory buybacks, saying they were too unspecific, giving police “another reason to go door-to-door.” He was the first to address police violence, saying, “police violence is also gun violence,” which many candidates agreed with. Castro also mentioned Atatiana Jefferson, a black woman who was fatally shot through the window of her own home a week prior, as an effective piece of evidence.
One question from the debate that left experts and candidates confused was when a moderator asked the candidates to describe a surprising friendship, mentioning former President George W. Bush and Ellen DeGeneres as an example. This was met with criticism, as critical issues like immigration, climate change, and reproductive rights (although California Senator Kamala Harris did shout out the issue) were replaced with an Ellen question.
The biggest takeaway from night four of the debates was that Warren is beginning to look like she could be the front-runner. The New York Times counted sixteen attacks launched on her from fellow candidates. The attacks came from all sides (with the exception of Sanders) and challenged her on issues including healthcare and gun buybacks. This pressure suggests that many candidates view her as the greatest threat, something that recent polls propose may be true.
The CNN moderators were the ones who faced the most backlash after this debate. Their lack of questioning on important topics, the focus on age, and Ellen led them to be critiqued by candidates and experts on and off the stage. Buttigieg and Klobuchar had standout nights with their new offensive strategies, while the newest addition, investor and billionaire, Tom Steyer, made little impact. The next question is about who will hold on to enough donors and poll respondents to make it to the next debate, which will be held on Wednesday, November 20, in Georgia.