A dozen Democratic presidential candidates took the stage in Ohio for the fourth debate of the 2020 election, the largest field ever to participate in a single debate.
Here are the winners and losers from tonight’s debate:
Winners: Pete Buttigieg, Andrew Yang, Amy Klobuchar and Bernie Sanders
Losers: Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Tom Steyer and Kamala Harris
After the debate, Beto O’Rourke was asked if Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders will change the 2020 race.
Here’s what he said:
O’Rourke went on to talk about his record, saying he’s shown that he can bring Democrats “in record numbers in Texas” and independents.
“I think that’s the way that we beat Donald Trump and that’s the way that we run a bold, progressive agenda and we’ve done this and we’ve done it fearlessly talking about the issues that matter most to our fellow Americans, so that’s what I am going to stay focused on,” he said.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren tonight refused to directly explain how she would fund Medicare for All — and many of the other 2020 Democrats called her out for dodging the question.
She was asked about the refusal after the debate. Here’s what she told CNN:
She stressed that she’s met many Americans struggling to afford medical expenses.
“These are families that are struggling with the cost of health care,” she said. “I talk to these people every day when I’m out on the campaign trail, at town halls, when I’m doing selfies afterwards. This is what middle class families are struggling with.”
CNN again asked her if her Medicare for All plan means that middle class taxes will go up.
Here’s her full answer:
Democratic presidential candidiate Tom Steyer posed for photos with Rosario Dawson inside the spin room, the area candidates go after the debate.
Rosario is dating fellow 2020 Democrat Cory Booker.
Tom Steyer, speaking to reporters after the debate, said he thinks his background makes him different from the rest of the Democratic candidates.
Steyer, a billionaire businessman, began amassing his fortune in 1986 when he launched his hedge fund Farallon Capital.
Steyer said he thinks President Trump will run on the economy.
“People are going to want think that whoever the next president is knows about growth, prosperity and shared prosperity,” he said.
Steyer continued: “I think I have a completely different background than anyone on that stage and a completely different ability to tackle those things and as I try to say, take Mr. Trump down.”
Many of the 2020 Democrats directly challenged each other tonight. Sen. Kamala Harris said that may have been a symptom of the candidates trying to make their voices heard under challenging debate rules.
“And I think the reality, then, is that everyone fights for their time to try and be heard and condense what are complex subjects into a 75-second answer,” she added.
Harris was then asked about her calls to get Twitter to suspected President Trump’s account. She said his threats are no longer a matter of free speech.
Here’s how she put it:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren was met swift criticism from her 2020 Democratic rivals tonight as they debated her health care plans.
But Sen. Cory Booker said he wants to remind voters that the Democrats must unite after the primary.
He continued: “I just wanted to be one of the people on the stage continuing to remind folks, we can fight over policy issues and which has the better idea. But we must do it in a way that ultimately we can unify at the end of this and be standing together.”
Sen. Kamala Harris resurfaced a previous claim that the eight biggest pharmaceutical and insurance companies alone made $72 billion in profits last year while Americans continue to suffer under the opioid crisis.
“The eight biggest pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies last year profited $72 billion on the backs of people like the families that we are talking about that have been overwhelmed by this crisis, which is a public health epidemic,” said Harris. “And they knew what they were doing.”
It’s not the first time that Harris has made the argument. She lodged the complaint back in July while criticizing former Vice President Joe Biden’s health care plan.
Facts First: While it was not clear which companies are part of Harris’ tally, she’s likely in the ballpark, at least according to profit data available for US drug companies as well as numbers on health insurance company profits from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. However, some context is needed as these profits aren’t derived solely from opioids or from the US market alone.
Ten of the largest US-based drug companies made $69 billion in profits last year. The health insurance industry made a total of $23 billion.
The profits of the top US drug companies were as follows: Johnson & Johnson ($15.3 billion), Pfizer ($11.2 billion), Amgen ($8.4 billion), Merck ($6.2 billion), AbbVie ($5.7 billion), Gilead ($5.5 billion), Bristol-Myers Squibb ($5 billion), Biogen ($4.4 billion), Celgene ($4 billion), Eli Lilly ($3.2 billion).
Not all of these profits came from the companies’ operations in the United States.
A report from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners said the health insurance industry generated net earnings of $23.4 billion in 2018.
Some are praising South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s performance on stage tonight.
Here’s what he attributed his success to:
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders claimed that six US banks “have assets equivalent to half of the GDP of the United States,” while giving examples of “the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality” in the country.
Facts First: This is correct.
America’s GDP totaled $20.5 trillion in 2018.
The largest banks by assets in the United States are JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citi, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Together, their total assets amount to $10.6 trillion dollars in 2018, according to ratings agency Standard & Poor’s.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s spokesperson said the Democratic hopeful took heat from fellow candidates on the debate stage tonight.
Warren became the main target in the 2020 race, with many of her centrist rivals attacking her plans.
South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar slammed her refusal to say that taxes for the middle class will go up under the “Medicare for All” plan.
Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar said the 2020 Democratic field “has been bottled up for a while” — but said she thinks she was able to stand out tonight.
“Well, it has been bottled up for a while, and I finally had the opportunity tonight to really make that differentiation with some of the candidates, but also just my difference in tone” she told CNN.
CNN asked her if tonight was a breakout moment.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most sought after progressive endorsements, will back Bernie Sanders, several sources tell CNN.
Her plan to endorse Sanders was first reported in the Washington Post.
A source tells CNN Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib will also back Sanders.
The final count is in, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren led the group with nearly 23 minutes in speaking time. Former Vice President Joe Biden, who had more than 16 minutes, came in second. See the full breakdown:
The final question of the night is all about unusual friendships.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper brought how Ellen DeGeneres and George W. Bush were spotted at a football game together. DeGeneres faced criticism for being friends with the conservative former president — in response, she said, “I think that we’ve forgotten that that’s OK that we’re all different.”
Here’s how each of the 12 Democrats responded:
Former Vice President Joe Biden laughed when Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren thanked President Obama for helping her establish a federal agency to protect consumers.
The laugh came after Biden said he had helped her get the votes needed to pass the 2010’s Dodd-Frank Act, under which the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was established.
Warren responded, thanking Obama.
“I am deeply grateful to President Obama, who fought so hard to make sure that agency was passed into law, and I am deeply grateful to every single person who fought for it and who helped pass it into law,” she said.
Biden interrupted, saying, “You did a hell of a job in your job.” To which, Warren said, “Thank you.”
Democrats, appalled by the fact that President Donald Trump has already successfully appointed two people to the Supreme Court and could be in line to appoint more, debated ways to remake the Supreme Court on Tuesday, with former Vice President Joe Biden, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and other disagreeing about the best way forward.
Biden, rebutting what Buttigieg has proposed about packing the court, said that he would not seek to add more justices.
“I would not get into court packing,” Biden said. “We add three justices. Next time around we lose control, they add three justices. We begin to lose any credibility the court has at all.
Buttigieg responded: “I’m not talking about packing the court just with people who agree with me, although I certainly will appoint people who share my values.”
Buttigieg has suggested a host of changes to the Supreme Court, including a commission that would aim to de-politicize the nation’s top court.
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro said, while he wouldn’t pack the court, he would back term limits.
“The smarter move might be to look at term limits or having people cycle off from the appellate courts so that you would have a replenishment of perspective,” he said.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said she is interested in “a number of options” to fixing the court, but did not outline her specific proposals to do so and instead pivoted to the importance of Roe v. Wade.
Watch here:
Former Vice President Joe Biden was put on defense over his record by his leading progressive foes, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Biden had touted his record in former President Barack Obama’s administration, pressuring Republicans to vote for measures such as the Federal Stimulus act.
That’s when Sanders pounced, attacking Biden over legislation Sanders opposed over the last three decades.
“Joe, you talked about working with Republicans and getting things done. But you know what, you also got done, and I say this as a good friend,” Sanders said. “You got the disastrous war in Iraq done. You got a bankruptcy bill, which is hurting middle class families all over this country. You got trade agreements like NAFTA and (trade relations) with China done, which have cost us 4 million jobs.”
Warren, responding to Biden’s assertion that he is best able to get things done, pointed to her role in creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau during Obama’s administration.
Biden interjected, saying, “I went on the floor and got you votes. I got votes for that bill. I convinced people to vote for it, so let’s get those things straight, too.”
Warren responded by thanking Obama – but notably omitting Biden.
“I am deeply grateful to President Obama, who fought so hard to make sure that agency was passed into law,” she said.
We are more than two hours into tonight’s Democratic debate, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren is still out front with the most speaking time so far.
Here’s the full rundown of how much everyone has spoken as of 10:30 p.m. ET:
Follow our live graphic for the latest figures.
Billionaire Tom Steyer is wearing a red, black and yellow plaid tie tonight.
He’s often seen in ties of various tartans. Many are red, and a spokesperson for the candidate said they’re Scottish.
Also, don’t forget about the belt:
