Six candidates, the smallest field to date, took the stage Tuesday for the seventh Democratic presidential debate.The debate was the first one of 2020 and the last one before the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses, which will boost the fortunes of those who do well and perhaps fatally cripple the candidacies of those who finish far behind the leaders.

Going into the debate, polls showed a four-way race for first place, with Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren separated by less than five percentage points in the Real Clear Politics average. They were the only candidates in double figures.

The other two participants were Amy Klobuchar, in fifth place in polling, and Tom Steyer, who is spending millions from his own pocket on advertisements and qualified for the debate at the last minute due to strong polling numbers in Nevada and South Carolina.

So who do you think won the debate? Vote in the informal, unscientific poll below.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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