Less than a week after the last debate, the Democrats were back on stage for yet another debate. This time, the debate was hosted by CBS in Charleston, South Carolina. All seven candidates from the Nevada debate, former Vice President Joe Biden, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN), Senator Bernie Sanders (VT), Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA), and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, qualified to participate in Charleston. But this time, they were joined by philanthropist Tom Steyer, who has been investing in his campaign in South Carolina and Super Tuesday states. South Carolina is a particularly important state for Democrats since black voters represent roughly 60% of Democratic voters, making support from black voters crucial to the candidates.

Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Amy Klobuchar on the CBS Democratic Debate Stage

Source: Syed Zaheer

Since the last debate, the third major event in the nomination season, the Nevada caucuses, has only pushed Bernie Sanders further into his front runner status. Winning 46.8% of the county delegates in the state, Sanders triumphed ahead of moderates Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg. His momentum from New Hampshire, combined with his most recent victory in Nevada, have left more center-aligned Democrats concerned about the future of their party. Mayor Pete Buttigieg has been most vocal about the issue, claiming that most voters don’t want to decide between diametrically opposed options of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.

Additionally, recent intelligence leaks have been released which left many with the impression that the Russian government has interfered with the election already, favoring Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. However, it’s important to clarify that this intelligence has been mischaracterized, and the more accurate summary is that Russia sees Donald Trump as easier for them to work with. Still, the controversy surrounding Bernie Sanders’ rise to the top of the polls highlights the biggest issue plaguing the Democrats right now: they can’t unite behind a candidate, ideology, or even a method for when they take on Donald Trump in November. All of this set the stage for a messy debate last night, which was again more focused on personal attacks than policies.

Winners

Amy Klobuchar

The uptick in popularity that Amy Klobuchar saw in New Hampshire, or her “Klomentum,” wore off quickly in Nevada, pushing her further down in status. Her subpar performance in Las Vegas seemed like the end of the line for her campaign and was especially disappointing after her powerful debate in New Hampshire. However, despite receiving less attention at the beginning of the night, Klobuchar showed viewers the same strengths she had in her earlier debates. She presented herself as the reasonable, pragmatic option (the main message of her campaign), and gave focused answers on policies– a stark contrast from the shouting of her fellow candidates. Her willingness to talk about the issues made her stand out, and the lack of criticism sent her way allowed her to shine.

Joe Biden

Months ago, Joe Biden seemed like the inevitable nominee for his party. His numbers soared above his opponents’, and his front runner status was secured by this sort of entitlement to the nomination– that is until the Iowa caucus swept the lead away from him. However, Joe Biden’s night in Charleston was likely one of his strongest yet. In a state where he is still on top, he felt more confident, going so far as to predict that he’ll win the state. Evidence that his support amongst black voters likely drove him to try to appeal to black voters and appear like a front runner once again. Although he stumbled a few times, Biden had a good night.

Elizabeth Warren

Oh my god. @ewarren just went IN on @MikeBloomberg at tonight's Democratic debate.



"Who funded Lindsey Graham’s campaign for reelection last time? It was Mayor Bloomberg." pic.twitter.com/73gfKXlFoj — Mother Jones (@MotherJones) February 26, 2020

Elizabeth Warren’s showing in the Nevada debate proved her strength on these stages, however, that didn’t translate to a good showing in the caucuses. Likely because of the amount of early voting that occurred before the debate could make its impact, Warren came in fourth place, making South Carolina her last chance to regain ground ahead of Super Tuesday. Per usual, Warren delivered, slamming Michael Bloomberg’s history with sexism as well as going after Bernie Sanders. With Bloomberg, she focused on complaints made against him for aggressively encouraging a female employee to terminate her pregnancy by telling her to “kill it,” and Warren contrasted this narrative to her own experience with pregnancy discrimination. Against Sanders, she painted herself as the more viable option for the presidency while agreeing with his progressive platform. Answers about policy are also a strong suit for Warren, and she made articulated particularly effective points on education and foreign policy.

Honorable Mentions

Pete Buttigieg

Mayor Pete deserves some credit for this performance. He broke free of his typical, overly-polished mannerisms that have come off robotic in the past, and was willing to joke around earlier in the debate. He also made an effective case for himself as the moderate alternative to what he describes as two extremes; however, his attacks on Bernie Sanders drove him into more awkward territory. When moderators lost control of the candidates, Buttigieg usually contributed to the shouting matches that ensued. During Sanders’ answer to a question about being dubbed radical, Buttigieg continuously cut off Sanders and attempted to speak over him. His answers on policy also weren’t remarkable, and awkward attacks on Sanders ultimately balanced out his more successful moments.

Bernie Sanders

Source: Syed Zaheer

Miraculously in the last debate, Bernie Sanders escaped the volume attacks that a front runner typically receives. Instead, they went to Michael Bloomberg, but Sanders didn’t get to enjoy the same immunity in Charleston. Instead, every candidate went after him, even fellow progressive Elizabeth Warren. Every front runner receives this treatment– Biden has experienced it in multiple debates and Warren felt the heat last fall– which is a sign that the candidates see him as a threat. But being on the receiving end of these attacks tanks a candidate’s performance because they have to spend more time defending themselves and less time on individual platforms. Everyone took shots at Sanders, spoke over him, or interrupted him, which weakened him. The actual substance of his answers and the fact that his on-stage presence reflected his front runner status saved him, which balanced his performance in the end.

Losers

Michael Bloomberg

After a brutal experience in his first presidential debate, Bloomberg and his team evidently had work to do with his regard to his on-stage skill. He seemed slightly more relaxed during his second appearance, but the other candidates still wanted nothing to do with him. Elizabeth Warren took down the billionaire by discussing the NDAs he has agreed to release women from and the pregnancy discrimination in his company, and describing Republican congressmen he’s supported as recently as 2016 (a history that Bloomberg dismissed as “sideshows.”) On policy issues, he continued to be inarticulate and vague. His attempts at humor also fell flat and generated awkward pauses, alienating him further from the rest of the candidates. He even tried to joke about how poorly he performed in the Las Vegas debate, but for Michael Bloomberg, weak performances may become a norm.

Source: Syed Zaheer

Tom Steyer

Tom Steyer’s back, but who really knows why? He’s investing much of his personal fortune into his campaign, and due to this, he’s been able to buy ads that help raise his popularity. Typically, Steyer’s debate performances are lackluster, and his performance in South Carolina wasn’t much different. He did start the night off strong, trying to assert himself, but as tension rose, the other candidates drowned him out. A spat with Joe Biden about his previous support of private prisons also left him in an awkward position. For someone who claims to have a front runner status in South Carolina, Steyer didn’t reflect that, leaving him one of the weakest candidates of the night.

Conclusion

The South Carolina Democratic debate reveals the same issues as the Nevada debate: they are too disorganized. For the first half-hour, the debate was a free for all, with candidates’ relentless bickering preventing them from actually reaching any agreements. The moderators are partly to blame– they allowed the candidates to cut each other off, speak over one another, and go significantly over their time limits– but the participants themselves need to realize that their current strategy isn’t helping them work toward their ultimate goal. Although tensions eased slightly as the debate progressed, heated exchanges between candidates occurred, mostly to attack Sanders’ policies, demonstrating that the Democrats are in a vulnerable place.

We're not even a half-hour in and the #DemDebate is totally out of control. Moderators getting trampled. pic.twitter.com/HoEdJUE1H7 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 26, 2020

The other candidates are clearly unhappy that Sanders is the front runner, particularly the moderates, but the lack of a clear alternative to Sanders means that the likelihood of him winning the nomination is increasing. The moderates warn viewers how having a democratic socialist would create devastating political consequences for their party, like Republicans regaining the House of Representatives, or how having billionaires like Bloomberg and Steyer as the face of their party would send the wrong message. Still, they remain divided into three lanes rather than joining forces and lessening the power of their centrist message.

These divisions are what could destroy the Democrats’ chances come November. A live broadcast of their divisive arguments is exactly what helps their ultimate opponent, Donald Trump and his unwavering support from the RNC. While the Democrats take every opportunity to tear each other down, they simultaneously splinter their base, which could be a costly mistake that alienates factions of the party from each other. Primary forecasts have even suggested that the odds of no one winning more than half the delegates have reached 44%, making it the most likely outcome right now.

Source: Syed Zaheer

The next debate is scheduled for March 15th in Phoenix, Arizona, after the South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday. The threshold for qualifying has yet to be established, but for the Democrats, gaining clarity from the next round of primaries is crucial. Maybe after the number of candidates will shrink ahead of the debate, or at the very least, there will be less personal attacks and more discussion of policy.



Join The New Voice’s political desk for live coverage of the Democratic debate on March 15.

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