After two weeks of solid polls, some showing him leading in Iowa and New Hampshire, Pete Buttigieg entered Wednesday night’s debate with a target on his back. Throughout the campaign so far, every time a candidate has started gaining on Joe Biden, they’ve face a barrage of attacks meant to stop their momentum. The question of the night was whether lovable Mayor Pete could survive a knife fight with seasoned political warriors. He did.

Unsurprisingly, the debate opened with the question that has made the primaries an afterthought, about impeachment. All the Democrats waxed profoundly about the need to remove the duly elected president of the United States. Mayor Pete promises the removal of Trump will be a tender moment for the country. Biden stumbled through his attempt to make his case. Kam­ala Harris called Trump a criminal. So much for trying to reach across the aisle.

As the domestic issues came up, Elizabeth Warren promised that once Americans taste Medicare for All, they will want it. This seems to be the drug-dealer approach to health policy, just give them a taste, but it was a score that got a lot of applause. Biden took the middle ground, defending private insurance. He doesn’t seem to think he needs a big talking point; he’s just riding his lead, which, in fairness, has been very steady.

Amy Klobuchar made a strange attempt to appeal to the masses by saying she raised $17,000 from ex-boyfriends, as opposed to megadonors, in her first Senate race. Buttigieg responded by saying he doesn’t play golf and is the poorest Democratic candidate. That’s his angle. Klobuchar tried to take the opportunity to say he’s only surging because he’s a man, maybe even a gay man, but she wasn’t quite able to land the point.

Mayor Pete was the big winner of the debate, even on defense. Nobody managed to ding him.

The MSNBC anchors really seemed to be trying to help Klobuchar, but it didn’t quite work. Buttigieg and Biden weren’t hurt by it. Klobuchar lost this debate. She was awkward and odd.

It’s not clear anyone had a touchdown celebration, but Buttigieg has to feel happy about holding his ground, and Biden kept his head down.

The socialists, Warren and Sanders, were an afterthought. Harris was impassioned but ineffective. Look for this to be a continuing theme. They lost this debate badly because their messages don’t appeal beyond Park Slope and the Bay Area. Most Democrats know this. Biden appeals beyond white voters. Buttigieg doesn’t yet — but watch out if he starts to.

This debate pointed to a Biden-vs.-Buttigieg primary. The more extreme candidates are falling back. The Democrats who want to be the adults in the room are winning. And that is good news for the Democratic Party.

David Marcus is the New York correspondent for The Federalist.