It was a night for Democrats and the Dodgers at Round Table Pizza in Corona on Tuesday.

While people loudly cheered the Los Angeles baseball team in the main part of the restaurant, some 40 others, mainly supporters of Bernie Sanders, gathered in a side room to watch the first debate of the Democratic candidates in the 2016 presidential race.

The party organized by Inland Empire for Bernie had a pro-Sanders motif. A cutout of Sanders greeted debate watchers. Hanging on a rack were blue T-shirts with the “Feel the Bern” logo and featuring an outline of Sanders’ trademark white hair.

A loud cheer went up when Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, took the stage at the Wynn resort in Las Vegas, and cheers and applause repeatedly greeted his remarks, particularly when he spoke out against income inequality and U.S. military intervention in the Middle East.

Clapping also broke out when Sanders said he didn’t care about Hillary Clinton’s emails.

By comparison, there was less applause for Clinton, the former first lady who served in the U.S. Senate and as secretary of state and is the front-runner for the Democratic nomination.

But there weren’t boos or jeers for her, either. And she got cheers by defending Planned Parenthood and giving a curt “No” when asked if she wanted to talk more about the email controversy.

Compared to Clinton and Sanders, the other Democratic candidates – former Rhode Island senator and governor Lincoln Chafee, ex-Maryland governor Martin O’Malley and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb – got little reaction.

Chuckles greeted Webb’s complaints about not getting enough airtime. O’Malley got some claps and “ooohs” by calling Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump a “carnival barker.”

Creiselda Terpoorten, 34, of Corona is a Sanders supporter. But she said she was impressed by O’Malley, whom she described as competent and consistent.

“I just appreciate that (Sanders is) thinking about the people,” she said, adding that she wouldn’t back Clinton if she won the nomination.

“I know who stands behind her. She knows a little too much that she has to keep a lot of secrets,” Terpoorten said. “Bernie Sanders is a truth-teller.”

Haley Nielsen, 25, of Riverside also backs Sanders. “He’s been consistent the last 20 to 30 years,” she said.

Nielsen would vote for Clinton if she were the nominee. “There’s no Republican who comes close,” she said. “Would I be a little reticent (to vote for Clinton)? Yeah. But I’d do it.”

Steve Ruth of Corona, a Clinton supporter, attended the party. No candidate, Republican or Democrat, can match Clinton’s experience, said Ruth, 56.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9547 or jhorseman@pe.com