If there were any doubts about the necessity of a presidential forum focused entirely on black women and women of color, She the People founder Aimee Allison put them to rest Wednesday in her opening remarks to the crowd at Houston’s Texas Southern University. “Remember,” she began, “we’re a powerful voting bloc. One of five voters in primaries are women of color, and we are 25 percent of the voters in key swing states: Texas, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, [and] Arizona.” She went on to note that women of color are also the “strongest Democratic Party voters in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and California.”

But those of us who can still vividly recall the outcome of the 2016 general election shouldn’t be at all unfamiliar with those kinds of stats. Exit polls showed that black women threw near-unanimous support (to the tune of 94 percent) behind Hillary Clinton. Clinton also garnered 69 percent of the Latina vote.

Women of color are a powerful voting bloc—but considering yesterday’s She the People Presidential Forum 2019 was the first-ever presidential candidate forum focused exclusively on women of color, it’s also apparent that they haven’t been courted with as much targeted attention as their reliable turnout should command. That women of color deserved presidential hopefuls’ undivided attention was a reality Allison continued to drive home at the top of the event. “We want to insist that whoever receives our vote and our support will govern with our deepest values and full humanity in view.” She stressed that “the stakes could not be higher,” before making the bold assertion that the candidate who best demonstrated the ability to stand with women of color on issues of importance would win the 2020 Democratic nomination and the White House.

Over three hours, in front of an enthusiastic and highly vocal audience, eight of the 19 declared Democratic candidates made their cases, fielding questions from Allison, MSNBC’s Joy Reid, who served as forum moderator, and several pre-vetted attendees who appeared onstage to ask their own questions. The candidates appeared in alphabetical order from Senator Cory Booker to Senator Elizabeth Warren, with former Housing Secretary Julian Castro, Representative Tulsi Gabbard, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Amy Klobuchar, former Representative Beto O’Rourke, and Senator Bernie Sanders in between.

Though each contender worked hard to woo the crowd, not all were successful. It was clear early on who had done their research and knew how to read the room; Harris was warmly welcomed and Warren received a standing ovation. It was just as clear who might continue to struggle with this constituency. Neither Gabbard, Klobuchar, nor Sanders connected with the audience as well as they should have.