Sens. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenHillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Democratic senators ask inspector general to investigate IRS use of location tracking service MORE (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersThe Hill's Campaign Report: Trump faces backlash after not committing to peaceful transition of power Bernie Sanders: 'This is an election between Donald Trump and democracy' The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump stokes fears over November election outcome MORE (I-Vt.) at Tuesday’s prime-time presidential debate defended “Medicare for All,” free college tuition and other progressive proposals they say they’d push forward if elected president.

The debate over such issues has defined the presidential race, which has at times looked like a fight over the future of the Democratic Party between liberals calling for new ideas and centrists worried the bold approach could turn off voters and lead to four more years for President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE.

ADVERTISEMENT

In the Senate, Democrats say Warren's and Sanders's most ambitious proposals divide many of their colleagues and face little chance of being enacted, even with a Democratic president.

Sen. Joe Manchin Joseph (Joe) ManchinSenate passes resolution reaffirming commitment to peaceful transition of power Hopes for DC, Puerto Rico statehood rise Manchin defends Supreme Court candidate Barrett: 'It's awful to bring in religion' MORE (D-W.Va.), the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, said ambitious proposals such as Medicare for All and free college are little more than campaign pipe dreams.

“There’s the progressive left, which is not where I am at all and not where West Virginia is, my state, and not where I think most of rural America is,” said Manchin, who argued the proposals likely don’t have majority support in the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Manchin said the Democratic lawmakers who support Medicare for All are a “vocal minority” who appear stronger than they are because “the press plays it up so big.”

Other Democrats on Tuesday were less cutting, but said the costs of some of the progressive proposals getting attention on the campaign trail would make them prohibitive.

“How do you pay for it is the question,” said Sen. Jon Tester Jonathan (Jon) TesterDemocrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court Pence seeks to boost Daines in critical Montana Senate race This World Suicide Prevention Day, let's recommit to protecting the lives of our veterans MORE (D-Mont.).

Sen. Mark Warner Mark Robert WarnerFBI director casts doubt on concerns over mail-in voting fraud Democrats call for declassifying election threats after briefing by Trump officials It's time to upgrade benefits MORE (D-Va.), who is up for reelection next year in a presidential battleground state, warned that big new programs could leave future generations saddled with trillions of dollars of additional debt.

“At the end of the day, there are some people offering — I’m not saying any candidates — that debt and deficits don’t matter anymore. That gives me a great deal of pause,” he said.

“There’s nothing progressive about leaving our kids with a balance sheet that wouldn’t allow America to make great investments,” he added.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Cynthia (Jeanne) Jeanne ShaheenSenate Democrats introduce bill to sanction Russians over Taliban bounties Trump-backed candidate wins NH GOP Senate primary to take on Shaheen Democratic senator urges Trump to respond to Russian aggression MORE (D-N.H.) who sponsored Medicare for All in the 115th Congress, which spanned 2017 and 2018, says she now supports a more pragmatic approach to helping people afford health care services.

“I frankly don’t support Medicare for All, for example, because I think there are better, faster ways to improve coverage for people,” said Shaheen, who also faces reelection next year.

She also criticized proposals to offer health care benefits to immigrants who came to the United States illegally.

“I don’t support providing benefits to people who come in here illegally because I’ve got my own constituents and there are people here who are citizens who need benefits, and I’m going to start with them,” she added.

Centrists in the Senate have candidates in the presidential race reflecting their positions, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy Klobuchar3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight MORE (D-Minn.) and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper John HickenlooperThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Trump previews SCOTUS nominee as 'totally brilliant' Cook Political Report shifts Colorado Senate race toward Democrat Willie Nelson playing at virtual fundraiser for Hickenlooper MORE (D), who have criticized some liberal proposals as unrealistic.

Those two candidates have lagged in the polls, but the Democratic front-runner remains former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Hillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns Fox News poll: Biden ahead of Trump in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Ohio MORE, who does not back Medicare for All.

Biden has faced criticism from liberals who see him as too centrist to win the nomination but support from other Democrats who worry a candidate such as Warren and Sanders might be defeated by Trump. Sanders and Warren have both been winning double-digit support behind Biden, along with Sen. Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisHundreds of lawyers from nation's oldest African American sorority join effort to fight voter suppression Biden picks up endorsement from progressive climate group 350 Action 3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing MORE (D-Calif.).

Liberals like Warren have argued the party could lose the election by being too cautious. A key part of her appeal to supporters is also her argument, as she declared Tuesday night, that “we’re not going to solve the urgent problems that we face with small ideas and spinelessness.”

She called on Democrats to be the party of “big structural change.”

There is definite support for some of the liberal proposals in the Senate and in the House, where battles between centrists and progressives have been a feature of the new majority.

Sanders's Medicare for All bill has 14 co-sponsors among Senate Democrats, though that is a small minority in the 47-member caucus.

In the House, it has 117 co-sponsors, almost half of the House Democratic caucus.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow Deborah (Debbie) Ann StabenowOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Trump rollbacks could add 1.8 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions over 15 years: analysis | Intensifying natural disasters do little to move needle on climate efforts | Experts warn wildfire smoke could worsen COVID-19 GAO report finds brokers offered false info on coverage for pre-existing conditions Democrats back away from quick reversal of Trump tax cuts MORE (D-Mich.), the chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, said she prefers lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 50 instead of switching to a universal health care system.

She also defended the position of Rep. Tim Ryan Timothy (Tim) RyanNow's the time to make 'Social Emotional Learning' a national priority Mourners gather outside Supreme Court after passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lincoln Project hits Trump for criticizing Goodyear, 'an American company' MORE (D-Ohio), who clashed with Sanders Tuesday over forcing union members to give up their negotiated employer-provided health care plans for a national plan.

“I personally support having Medicare as an option so people can choose, so that if someone has a good union contract health care plan that they want to keep, like a lot of people do in Michigan, that they can do that,” she said.

Stabenow is the co-sponsor of a bill to set up a so-called public option, through which people could buy into a government-provided health care plan — a proposal that moderate Montana Gov. Steve Bullock Steve BullockMcConnell locks down key GOP votes in Supreme Court fight Senate Democrats demand White House fire controversial head of public lands agency Pence seeks to boost Daines in critical Montana Senate race MORE (D) endorsed at Tuesday’s debate.

Another Sanders bill, the College for All Act, has doesn’t have any Senate co-sponsors, although a House companion measure has 16 House co-sponsors.

Warren has a separate $1.25 trillion plan to pay for up to $50,000 in student debt for people in households earning less than $100,000.

On the subject of free college, Stabenow said there is a “difference” of opinion within the Democratic caucus.

“Do you offer that for people who are wealthy? I would say no,” she said.

“One of the outrages is the cost of college,” Stabenow added, but argued there are other ways to lower college costs.

Democrats on Capitol Hill up for reelection in purple states say the pursuit of more centrist principles isn’t about spinelessness or small mindedness, it’s simply a difference of opinion about what would work best.

“Those people who said these ideas are not bold enough, they’re not big enough — well, there’s a legitimate difference of opinion about what’s the best way forward,” said Shaheen. “I want to reflect the people who I represent because I think that’s the best way forward.”

Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.), another centrist who is up for reelection next year, said the media’s portrayal of the presidential debates has given too much attention to Warren and Sanders.

“All you folks in the media who said the only voices were from the left were wrong. We’ve been saying that over and over,” he said.

“No one should believe the left is dominating the Democratic Party,” he said.

Jones said “overall, the rank-and-file Democrats” are not in favor of Medicare for All “and will vote that way.”