Democratic candidates debate in Ohio

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

Read Cillizza’s take on why here.

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.