Democratic candidates condemned Donald Trump as the most corrupt president in US history and clashed on gun control, healthcare and foreign policy in the latest primary debate.
On what was said to be the most crowded stage ever for Democrats – there were a dozen hopefuls up there – Elizabeth Warren came under fire from various quarters as the result of her newly-minted frontrunner status.
It was something she has almost certainly prepared for, and she dealt with most of the challenges deftly in a performance that will have cemented her solidity, even if it did not raise the rafters.
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Probably the toughest challenges came from Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, who asked Ms Warren why she would not admit that her plan for healthcare would require her to raise taxes.
“I think we owe it to the American people to tell them where to send the invoice,” said Ms Klobuchar, a senator from Minnesota, who has pitched herself as someone who can win in Middle America. “The difference between a plan and a pipe dream is something you can actually get done.”
Mr Buttigieg piled on. “That was a yes or no question that didn’t get a yes or no answer,” he said.
An average of polls collated by RealClearPoltics suggests Joe Biden still has the advantage of a couple of points over Ms Warren. Yet, with questions being asked about the former vice president’s age, and more recently him being accused of wrongdoing in Ukraine when he was vice president as part of the fall-out from the whistleblower controversy, many have believed the momentum is with the Massachusetts senator.
As it was, she showed she could defend herself as crisply as she could attack.
“I have made clear what my principles are here, and that is that costs will go up for the wealthy and for big corporations and, for hard-working middle class families, costs will go down,” she said at one point.
She added: “My question is not why do Bernie and I support a wealth tax. It’s why does everyone else on this stage think it is more important to protect billionaires than it is to invest in an entire generation?”
The debate in Ohio was the first since Bernie Sanders was taken to hospital last month, and it was subsequently revealed he suffered a heart attack. Amid concern he may not be able to participate, the 78-year-old delivered a strong performance, as lively as ever, and determined to deliver the response he wanted to, no matter what question he was asked.
It was later reported the Vermont senator, who spoke movingly of his gratitude for the messages of support he had received while recovering, is to receive the endorsement of New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It was reported the two will appear together this weekend at an event in the New York borough of Queens.
“Let me take this moment if I might to thank so many people from all over this country, including many of my colleagues up here, for their love, for their prayers, for their well wishes,” he said. “And I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I’m so happy to be back here with you this evening.”
The debate was also the first since Democrats formally announced an impeachment investigation of Mr Trump, amid accusations from a member of the US intelligence community that the president sought to pressure the leader of Ukraine to dig up dirt on Mr Biden.
Mr Trump has dismissed the move as a “witch hunt” while also admitting Democrats in the House have sufficient votes to impeach him. On Tuesday night, there was near unanimity on the need to proceed with censuring the president. Mr Biden said he was “the most corrupt in modern history and all of our history”.
Cory Booker, who earned praise for his declaration that men must help in the fight for women’s reproductive rights, will have considered he had a good night. He also urged his rivals not to tear each other apart in the process to select a nominee, something the party failed to do in 2008 and 2016.
“I have seen this script before,” said Mr Booker. “It didn’t work in 2016 and it will be a disaster for us in 2020.”
Along with Mr Buttigieg and Ms Klobuchar, supporters of Hawaiian congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard will feel their candidate also managed to stand out amid a crowded field. Kamala Harris also landed many decent points, a return to form after a couple of quiet performances.
Ms Gabbard, the 38-year-old military veteran who served in Iraq, has stood out with her criticism of US foreign policy and she was no different on Tuesday night.
“The slaughter of the Kurds being done by Turkey is yet another negative consequence of the regime-change war that we’ve been waging in Syria. Donald Trump has the blood of the Kurds on his hand — but so do many of the politicians in our country from both parties who have supported this ongoing regime-change war in Syria that started in 2011, along with many in the mainstream media, who have been championing and cheerleading this regime-change war,” she said.
By contrast, supporters of Beto O’Rourke and Julian Castro will have been disappointed. Despite occasional flashes, neither was able to display the edge or passion they showed at the last debate in Houston. The 12th candidate, Tom Steyer, a billionaire who spent $30m of his own money to be present, had little chance to shine.
His best moment probably came in his opening address. He said: “I want to remind everybody that every candidate here is more decent, more coherent and more patriotic than the criminal in the White House.”
Additional reporting by agencies
