10:45 p.m.

First round of debate ends as Democrats spar over vision

Ten Democrats running for president parried over health care, immigration and gun violence in a policy-heavy debate Tuesday in Detroit that drew sharp contrasts between the progressive and centrist ideologies of the party.

Minutes into the CNN debate – the first of two this week – the candidates delved into an issue that has increasingly divided the party: Whether to embrace a "Medicare for All" system of health insurance or to improve on the current private insurance system. Progressives like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have pushed for more government involvement.

“Why do we gotta be the party of taking something away from people?” asked John Delaney, who has attempted to run for the nomination as a centrist. “We can give everyone healthcare and allow everyone to have choice.”

Warren interjected: “Let’s be clear about this. We are the Democrats.”

There were few “moments” of high drama during the debate, which was notable almost as much for what wasn’t discussed. Former Vice President Joe Biden is leading in the polls for the Democratic nomination, ostensibly making him a target for the lesser-known candidates. But his name wasn’t mentioned Tuesday.

A running exchange between Delaney and Warren underscored a major theme of the debate: Whether the party should pursue big ideas that appeal to progressives, or more incremental changes that appeal to moderates.

During one exchange, Delaney blasted progressives for proposing ideas that are “dead on arrival” or that “will never happen.”

Warren fired back.

“I don’t understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can’t do and shouldn’t fight for,” she said to applause. “I don't get it.”

The candidates also engaged in an extended debate over immigration. Steve Bullock, who was making his first appearance on the debate stage, was asked why he disagreed with decriminalizing border crossings and offering health care to undocumented immigrants – the approach that many of his fellow Democrats are championing.

That approach, he said, shows “how often these debates are detached from peoples’ lives.”

The hundreds of thousands of people showing up on the border will turn into “multiples of that” if the policies change, he said. “Don’t take my word,” Bullock said. “That was President Obama’s homeland security that said that.”

The debates continue Wednesday and will include Biden, who has said he was too polite during the first matchup last month, and Sen. Kamala Harris, who got a boost in fundraising and polling following her performance in June. Much of that bounce has eroded in recent polling.

That underscores an important point: Candidates can be rewarded or punished for how well they do on stage during these high-profile debates. But at this early stage in the campaign, those gains or losses are likely to be fleeting.

After the second round on Wednesday night, the next Democratic debates will take place Sept. 12-13 in Houston. This week could potentially be the last time debate watchers see some of the candidates on stage in the 2020 election. Tougher qualification rules in September will require candidates to be polling at least 2% and have 130,000 unique donors – a high hurdle for some in the field.

– John Fritze, Michael Collins and Camille Caldera

10:43 p.m.

'Radical truth telling' and other closing lines

Marianne Williamson: “Our problem is not just that we need to defeat Donald Trump. We need a plan to solve institutional hatred, collectivized hatred, and white nationalism. And in order to do that, we need more than political insider games and wonkiness and intellectual argument. We need some radical truth telling.”

Tim Ryan: “There’s not going to be a savior. There’s not going to be a superstar that’s going to fix all of this. It’s going to be you and me. It’s going to be us that’s going to fix this country.”

Amy Klobuchar: "I can win in states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa. I will do my job without fear and favor like I did like a prosecutor and get through the gridlock like I did as a senator."

Pete Buttigieg: “We can do this if and only if we are ready to walk away from what hasn’t worked with bold action and win. Not only defeat this president, but defeat his congressional allies, with a defeat so big that it reunites the Republican Party with its conscience, as well as bringing Democrats to office.”

Bernie Sanders: “I’m running for president not just to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of this country… I’m running to transform this country…..Let’s create a government that works for all of us, not just the 1%.”

Elizabeth Warren: “We have had a government that has been on the side of the rich and powerful… which means it has not been on the side of everyone else… How do we beat it? We beat it by being the big party of structural change.”

Beto O’Rourke: “We are as divided and polarized as a country as we have ever been and right now we have a president who uses fear to try to drive us further apart. To meet this challenge, we have to have hope in one another and a faith in a future of this country that includes everyone.”

John Hickenlooper: “I’m as progressive as anybody up on this stage, but I’m also pragmatic. I’ve done the things that most of these people are just talking about. I know I can get results. I can lead the people of this country towards a stronger, healthier and a more secure future and defeat Donald Trump.”

John Delaney: “Donald Trump is the symptom of a disease, and the disease is divisiveness, and I’m the only one of the stage talking about curing that disease.”

Steve Bullock: “I’m running for president to beat Donald Trump, to win back the places we lost, and make sure that Americans know, where Washington has left them behind….I’ll be there.”

– Maureen Groppe, Sarah Elbeshbishi, Camille Caldera, Jason Lalljee and Ledyard King

10:41 p.m.

Whither Biden?

Former Vice President Joe Biden is leading in the polls for the Democratic nomination. But you wouldn’t know it listening to the first night of the debates Tuesday.

Biden’s name didn't come up.

Biden also barely arose during the first night of debates in June. Traditionally, lesser-known candidates seek to attack the leader in polling. The absence of any discussion of Biden is likely a symptom of the debate format. It’s better to go after another candidate when they’re on stage. Just ask Kamala Harris, who had a “moment” with Biden in June by criticizing his past opposition to federally mandated busing.

Because of the size of the Democratic field, the debates are split over two nights. Biden won’t take the debate stage until Wednesday.

Biden has maintained his lead in polling, with about one-third of Democrats picking him as their favorite in three national surveys Tuesday.

– John Fritze

10:28 p.m.

Does age matter?

Pete Buttigieg is 37, just two years older than the age qualification included in the Constitution to be president. Bernie Sanders is 77.

Both candidates went on defense in a question on whether age should even matter for voters.

“I don’t care how old you are,” Buttigieg said. “I care about your vision.”

Buttigieg went on to say there is a new generation of Democrats.

Sanders agreed it is a “question of vision, whether you’re young, whether you’re old or whether you’re in between.”

“My vision, among other things, says that if we’re going to fight for health care we don’t take money from the drug companies or the insurance companies,” he said.

– John Fritze

10:22 p.m.

Sanders: ‘Trump is a pathological liar’

The candidates mainly stuck to domestic policy during the debate. But more than two hours in the moderators turned to foreign policy.

Asked why voters should believe him when both he and President Donald Trump have promised the U.S. should not be a police force for the world, Sanders blasted the administration’s foreign policy.

“Trump is a pathological liar,” Sanders said. “I tell the truth.”

The candidates all criticized Trump’s foreign policy but offered few distinctions among each other.

Pete Buttigieg promised that, as president, he would withdraw all troops from Afghanistan during his first year. Trump, too, has talked about drawing down troops, but the timeline for that move is uncertain.

“We will withdraw. We have to,” Buttigieg said. “I thought I was one of the last troops leaving Afghanistan…years ago.”

Beto O’Rourke would not agree to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan in his first year, but said he would do so in his first term.

John Hickenlooper said he looked at the U.S. mission in Afghanistan as a “humanitarian” issue and said he would not entirely withdraw troops from that country.

“We’re going to have to be in Afghanistan,” Hickenlooper said.

– John Fritze and Michael Collins

10:20 p.m.

Should college be free?

Democrats split over whether to forgive student loans or make college free.

“That would be great for us,” Pete Buttigieg said about the college debt that he and his husband have. But the day after all student debt is forgiven, the next students would wonder why they weren’t so lucky, he said.

Instead, Buttigieg said, the nation can expand Pell grants, make states pick up more of the cost of public universities and expand loan forgiveness programs in exchange for public service.

Marianne Williamson said she agreed with Bernie Sanders on eliminating student debt, calling it the best thing the country can do to stimulate the economy.

“I almost wonder why you’re Democrats. You seem to think there’s something wrong about using the instruments of government to help people,” Williamson said about some of her opponents, drawing applause. “That is what government should do.”

Beto O’Rourke reiterated his call for free two-year college, and tried to draw a distinction with the other candidates, saying his plan would also include room, board and textbooks.

– Maureen Groppe and Ledyard King

10:10 p.m.

Buttigieg quotes scripture

Pete Buttigieg, one of the Democratic candidates who has freely spoken about his faith on the campaign trail, called out “so-called conservative Christian senators” who are blocking a bill to increase the minimum wage

“When scripture says that whoever oppresses the poor taunts their maker,” Buttigieg added.

– Maureen Groppe

10:07 p.m.

Cashing in on 'damn bill' moment

Bernie Sanders may have had the line of the night – and he’s hoping to cash in on it.

Sanders’ campaign is peddling a sticker with a picture of the Vermont senator on a bullhorn with the phrase “I wrote the damn bill” underneath.

The sticker harks back to a moment earlier in the debate when Tim Ryan challenged Sanders’ assertion that "Medicare for All" would be better deal for union workers because it would include coverage for dental care, hearing aids and eyeglasses.

Tim Ryan shook his head: “You don’t know that Bernie.”

“I do know,” Sanders shot back. “I wrote the damn bill.”

The audience erupted in applause.

That led to a tweet from the Sanders campaign celebrating the moment.

“Don’t Tell me what’s in Medicare for All. I wrote the damn bill! #DemDebate. Make a contribution and get our sticker now,” the tweet reads.

The tweet goes on to say that people can “donate any amount to get this sticker”

– Ledyard King

10:03 p.m.

Sparring over the Green New Deal

The candidates split on the Green New deal, the ambitious climate change proposal that’s been assailed by Republicans and moderates as a fantasy that would hurtle the country closer to socialism.

John Delaney dismissed the Green New Deal as “unrealistic” as he explained his own plan to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 that includes carbon pricing.

Warren, a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal, called the climate crisis an “existential threat” that demands dramatic action.

But John Hickenlooper slammed the plan.

“The guarantee of a public job for everyone who wants one is a classic part of the problem. It’s a distraction,” he said. Deal with climate change, he said, “in a realistic way.”

The former Colorado governor was referencing an early draft of the Green New deal that included a guarantee of jobs for Americans – a plank that was never included in the final bill that was introduced earlier this year.

“I put a real policy on the table to put 1.2 million jobs in green manufacturing ... and no one wants to talk abut it,” Warren responded, looking at Hickenlooper. “What you want to do instead is find the Republican talking point of a made-up piece of some other part and say ‘Oh, we don’t have to really do anything.'”

“That’s the problem we’ve got in Washington right now,” Warren continued. “It continues to [be] a Washington that works great for oil companies, just not for people worried about climate change.”

– Ledyard King

9:55 p.m.

Top trending candidate: Marianne Williamson

Author Marianne Williamson was the top trending candidate on Twitter during the debate, despite having little speaking time.

An hour and a half into the debate, Williamson had spoken fewer words than any of the other candidates onstage, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Williamson was the third top trending topic in the last hour in the United States, netting about 28,000 tweets. John Delaney, Steve Bullock, Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg (as “Mayor Pete”) were the only other candidates to trend in the top ten.

"Flint is just the tip of the iceberg," she said during the last twenty minutes of the debate in reference to the drinking water crisis in that Michigan city.

"If you think any of this wonkiness is going to deal with this dark psychic force of the collectivized hatred that this president is bringing up in this country, then I'm afraid that the Democrats are going to see some very dark days," she said about broad structural racism in America.

"If the Democrats don't start saying it, why would those people vote for us?" she said about African-American voters.

One Twitter user who had positive things to say about Williamson was Donald Trump Jr., who wrote that he thought she was "winning this thing."

– Jason Lalljee

9:47 p.m.

Democrats blast Trump on race

Race, which President Donald Trump has been thrust into the presidential election, came up about 90 minutes into the debate.

Most of the candidates blasted the president’s recent tweets aimed at four progressive congresswomen of color as well as Rep. Elijah Cummings and his hometown, Baltimore.

But there were few distinctions between the candidates on the issue.

“We need to call out white supremacy for what it is, domestic terrorism,” Elizabeth Warren said in one of the main applause lines from the exchange.

Amy Klobuchar lamented that “little kids” woke up in Baltimore to hear news of the president calling their city “nothing more than a home for rats.”

Buttigieg, who is facing criticism among some black voters for his handling of a police shooting in his city, South Bend, Ind., said his “community is moving from hurting to healing.”

Beto O’Rourke, who said he would sign legislation to study to reparations for slavery, said the legacy of slavery and segregation is “alive and well” in the USA.

– John Fritze

9:41 p.m.

Only veteran on stage goes after Trump

Pete Buttigieg grabbed an opening to pivot to one of the ways he stands out in the field, as a veteran who served in Afghanistan.

Injecting himself into a discussion of climate change, Buttigieg said that his competitors all have similar visions on climate change. But the debate is theoretical, he said, unless Democrats defeat Trump.

“Nominate me and get to see the president of the United States next to me, an American war veteran, and explain why he chose to pretend to be disabled when it was his chance to serve,” Buttigieg said.

– Maureen Groppe

9:23 p.m.

Delaney, Warren battle for soul of party

An ongoing debate between John Delaney and Elizabeth Warren underscored a major debate theme: Whether the party should pursue big ideas that appeal to progressives, or more incremental changes to attract moderates.

During one exchange, Delaney blasted progressives for proposing ideas that are “dead on arrival” or that “will never happen.”

Warren fired back.

“I don’t understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can’t do and shouldn’t fight for,” she said to applause. “I don't get it.”

– John Fritze and Sarah Elbeshbishi

9:19 p.m.

Who can best beat Trump?

Bernie Sanders was asked about John Hickenlooper’s claim that he’s too extreme.

“Every credible poll that I have seen has me beating Donald Trump,” Sanders said.

Mimicking Sanders' expressive arms, Hickenlooper said to Sanders “you can throw your hands up” but “we have to pick up the pieces” when promises are made.

“You can’t just spring a plan on the world and expect it to succeed,” Hickenlooper said

Tim Ryan jumped in on Hickenlooper’s side, complaining that some of his colleagues have been talking about taking private health insurance away from workers through "Medicare for All."

“We have to talk about the working class issues,” he said.

Sanders later responded: “We need to have a campaign on energy and excitement and vision.”

– Maureen Groppe

9:05 p.m.

Getting personal on gun control

Pete Buttigieg, the youngest candidate on the stage, used his age to make a personal point about gun control.

Buttigieg, 37, said his is the first generation to see mass shootings in schools.

“High school is hard enough without worrying whether you’re going to get shot,” he said, adding that the country is now seeing a second generation to witness school shootings.

“We know what to do, and it has not happened,” Buttigieg said, citing universal background checks as an example of the kind of gun-control measures that are needed.

Moderator Don Lemon asked Bernie Sanders if he still agreed with a statement he made a few months after the Sandy Hook massacre, in which he said that passing the strongest gun legislation wouldn’t “have a profound effect on the tragedies we have seen.”

“Nobody up here is going to tell you that we have a magical solution to the crisis,” Sanders said in response. “I have a D- voting from the NRA. As president, I suspect I will have an F record.”

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who did not call for a ban on assault weapons until last summer, mentioned that he’s a gun owner. “I hunt,” he said.

– Michael Collins, Camille Caldera and Jason Lalljee

8:58 p.m.

Contrarian Democrat on immigration

Republicans were gleeful when most of the candidates in the first debate said they would decriminalize border crossings and offer health care to undocumented immigrants.

Steve Bullock, who was making his first appearance on the debate stage, was asked why he disagreed. That approach that many of his fellow Democrats are championing, he said, shows “how often these debates are detached from peoples lives.

The hundreds of thousands of people showing up on the border will turn into “multiples of that” if the policies change, he said. “Don’t take my word,” Bullock said. “That was President Obama’s homeland security that said that.”

Elizabeth Warren defended decriminalizing border crossings, saying “the criminalization statute is what gives Donald Trump the ability to take children away from their parents.”

“What Trump is doing through his racism and xenophobia is demonizing a group of people,” Bernie Sanders said, the only candidate to invoke the word “racism” in connection to the border crisis.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the Democrats' immigration debate is turning into an open invitation for any person who can make their way to America to come here.

“Plus, they will be rewarded with free health care!,” Graham tweeted.

– Maureen Groppe and Jason Lalljee

8:50 p.m.

'I wrote the damn bill'

As Bernie Sanders was touting his "Medicare for All" plan, he said union members would reap benefits beyond the health care plans their leaders have negotiated because it would include coverage for dental care, hearing aids and eyeglasses.

Tim Ryan shook his head: “You don’t know that Bernie.”

“I do know,” Sanders shot back. “I wrote that damn bill.”

The audience erupted in applause.

Ryan, whose Ohio district includes a large union population, tried to regain his footing by saying that Sanders “does not know all of the union contracts in the United States.”

– Ledyard King

8:46 p.m.

‘Bunch of crazy socialists’

The Democratic candidates are collectively wrestling with whether to run to the left, to court the party’s progressive wing, or to run to the center to appeal to blue-collar voters who backed Donald Trump in 2016.

Trump has repeatedly sought to characterize all Democrats as “socialists.”

Pete Buttigieg suggested Democrats should stop worrying about criticism from Trump on whatever policy path the ultimate nominee chooses.

“It’s time to stop worrying what the Republicans will say,” Buttigieg argued. "They’re going to call us a bunch of crazy socialists."

If they adopt a progressive agenda, Buttigieg said, Republican will label the party “crazy socialists.” If they move to the center, he said, the GOP will still call them “crazy socialists.”

“Let’s just stand up for the right policy,” he argued.

– John Fritze

8:39 p.m.

Putting moderates on the spot

Moderator Jake Tapper turned the table on the more moderate members, asking Amy Klobuchar if Elizabeth Warren was correct when she said in the June debates that those who don’t support "Medicare for All" lack the will to fight for it.

“That is not correct. I just have a better way to do this,” Klobuchar said.

The Minnesota senator said adding a public option is the easiest way to move forward quickly.

– Maureen Groppe

8:32 p.m.

Is 'Medicare for All' political suicide?

In the first question, moderator Jake Tapper tried to get a debate going between the most progressive and more moderate members about a top Democratic priority – health care.

Tapper asked Sanders how he would respond to Delaney’s claim that promising Medicare for All is political suicide and will re-elect Trump.

“You’re wrong,” Sanders said in his distinctive Brooklyn accent.

Sanders said health care is a human right, not a privilege, and he will fight for it.

Delaney shot back that Democrats don’t have to “take something away” from people by getting rid of private insurance.

“You’re running on telling half the country that your health care is illegal,” Delaney said.

Warren got applause by interjecting that "we're not trying to take health care away from anyone."

“That’s what Republicans are trying to do,” she said. “We should stop using Republican talking points in order to talk with each other about how to provide health care.”

– Maureen Groppe

8:30 p.m.

Candidates slam Trump on race

About 10 minutes into the debate, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar became the first candidate to raise the topic of racially charged attacks by President Trump over the past two weeks.

“… We come from a country of shared dreams. And I’ve had it with the racist attacks,” she said during her opening statement.

Trump has drawn broad condemnation for tweets assailing four Democratic congresswomen of color and, more recently, for describing a Baltimore congressional district that is majority black in Baltimore as “infested” with rats.

Other candidates, including Bernie Sanders followed suit.

– Ledyard King

8:18 p.m.

Buttigieg watch party

They broke out the bingo cards at a Pete Buttigieg campaign watch party at Mike’s Bar down the street from the debate where the candidate himself was on stage.

Supporters fill in a box for key – or not so key – moments such as every time someone says “working class voters,” if a candidate has a coughing fit or if a moderator hushes the crowd.

In addition, the watch party features Buttigieg-themed drinks.

Supporters could suck down The Blue Tie (Blue Curacao, Ketel One Vodka, and Sprite) or Pete’s Old Fashioned (Bulleit Rye whiskey and bitters garnished with an orange and a cherry) among other cocktails.

8:10 p.m.

'Emphasis on progress'

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, the only candidate who did not appear in the last debate, got the first words in this one. In his opening statement, Bullock pointed out that he won not one – but three – elections in a red state. “Not by compromising our values but by getting stuff done,” he said. “I’m a progressive, emphasis on progress.”

– Maureen Groppe

8:10 p.m.

No hand over heart

During the singing of the national anthem, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan was the only one of the 10 candidates who didn’t place his hand over his heart.

Ryan and the anthem got immediate attention on Twitter.

– Michael Collins

8:08 p.m.

Andrew Yang throws shade at stage

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang threw some shade as his competition took the stage on Tuesday.

'Most boring football game in history':Democratic candidates not on stage poke fun as tonight's debate begin

“I’m sitting in a hotel room with my team,” Yang posted on Twitter. “It feels like we are about to watch the most boring football game in history.”

Yang will be on stage Wednesday.

– John Fritze

8:03 p.m.

And….here we go!

The Democratic hopefuls are about to give opening statements.

In the center of the stage are Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the field’s progressive titans. They’re friends, but will they go after each other in a bid for the most liberal voters in the Democratic base?

They’re flanked by Pete Buttigieg and Beto O’Rourke, two of the youngest candidates, who have been in competition with each other for a similar pool of voters.

Most other candidates on the outer edges of the stage have struggled to make much of a dent in the polls. They could look for opportunities to go after the higher-polling Sanders and Warren by arguing that Democrats need a more centrist approach to win the White House.

Why debate in Detroit?:Because Michigan matters greatly in the 2020 presidential race

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, for example, who did not appear in the first round of debates, is likely to point out that he’s the only candidate on stage who has carried a red state.

- Maureen Groppe

Who’s on stage?

From left to right, the candidates are: activist Marianne Williamson; Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren; former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke; former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper; former Maryland Rep. John Delaney; former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock.

An interactive guide:Who is running for president in 2020? An interactive guide

Debate rules

The debates, which will begin at 8 p.m. EDT, will air on CNN as well as online at CNN.com.

The moderators are Dana Bash, Don Lemon and Jake Tapper.

Quizzing the candidates:Who is moderating the second Democratic presidential debate?

Bachelorette finale or Dem debate?:Viewers must decide

Unlike the first round of debates in July, candidates will give opening statements in addition to their closing remarks. And they will not be asked to raise their hand or give a one-word answer to any question.

They will have 60 seconds to respond to a question from a moderator and 30 seconds for rebuttals if attacked by another candidate.

Anyone who constantly interrupts will be docked time.

The location:Macomb County is Michigan's political promised land in 2020 presidential race

Democrats back constitutional amendment on donors

Their focus is on the debate, but nearly a dozen Democratic candidates took time Tuesday to weigh in on another issue that will be critical for their campaigns: Donors.

Eleven Democratic candidates have endorsed a proposed 28th amendment to the Constitution designed to override a Supreme Court decision that equates campaign donations with free speech. The idea is being pushed by an advocacy group called American Promise, which hopes to get all of the candidates to sign on.

The proposed amendment "is necessary to put power back into the hands of the American people," said Jeff Clements, president of American Promise.

The supporters so far: Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Kirsten Gillibrand, Michael Bennet, Tom Steyer, Marianne Williamson, Steve Bullock, John Delaney, and Tim Ryan.

The entire Senate Democratic caucus also proposed a 28th amendment on Tuesday, a long-shot proposal designed to reverse a Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

In a 5-4 ruling, the court struck down laws that had prevented corporations and labor unions from using funds for political advertising, saying the bans violated free speech rights.

Trump will watch the debates

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will take a break from his rhetorical boycott of CNN to tune in for the Democratic debate.

“I’ll be watching the debates tonight,” Trump told C-SPAN in an interview, excerpts of which were released before the debate. “If I didn’t – you’d say ‘I can’t imagine.’ I would like to know who I’ll be running against.”

Of course, the president didn’t entirely miss the opportunity to knock the network he loves to hate. CNN is hosting the second round of debates in Detroit.

“It’s such incorrect reporting,” Trump said. “That’s why their rating went down so low.”

The entire C-SPAN interview will air after the debate.

"They are all the same"

Trump's campaign took out full-page ads in the Detroit newspapers Tuesday attacking Democrats on health care, immigration and taxes. The ad shows candidates from the last debate raising their hands when asked about some of those issues, including whether they support providing health care to undocumented immigrants. All said they do.

Television ads with the same message were expected to air during the debates.

That position, however, has also been criticized by some Democrats. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was Barack Obama's chief of staff, publicly advised candidates Monday not to "fall into the traps that had many of us shaking our heads" during the June debates.

"Before our party promises health care coverage to undocumented immigrants — a position not even Ted Kennedy took – let’s help the more than 30 million Americans who are a single illness away from financial ruin," Emanuel wrote.

For its part, the Democratic National Committee sent officials to a closing automobile plant in Michigan to "highlight Trump’s broken promises on the economy."

The issues:Health care, jobs, immigration and the Great Lakes top your 2020 election agenda

Maybe they're watching the Bachelorette?

Voters appear less excited about the second set of Democratic debates than the first rounds in June, according to an Emerson poll released Tuesday.

Less than six in ten of those surveyed planned on watching some of the debates, compared to the 72% who planned to watch the June debates.

Both tonight's debate and the Bachelorette finale are slated to run from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST — and some viewers are torn over which high-stakes drama to watch.

What to watch for:The gloves will be off during this week's Democratic debates.

Who's ahead in the polls?

Joe Biden maintains his lead, with about one-third of Democrats picking Biden as their favorite in three national surveys out Tuesday.

But Biden has lost his lead in Iowa, according to a survey by Optimus for Firehouse Strategies. Elizabeth Warren has a slight edge over Biden in the first state where Democrats will vote next year. Biden continues to lead in the other early voting states of New Hampshire and South Carolina. But his support has softened since May, according to the survey.

Nationally, Biden does best with older voters and those who describe themselves as "moderate" or "conservative," according to the Emerson poll. Bernie Sanders is the favorite of those under 30 and "very liberal" voters.

Contributing: Noah Broder, special to the Detroit Free Press.