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| Highlights From the September Democratic Debate | Highlights From the September Democratic Debate |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Candidates: Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Kamala Harris, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, the entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Senator Cory Booker, former Representative Beto O’Rourke, Senator Amy Klobuchar and former housing secretary Julián Castro. | Candidates: Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Kamala Harris, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, the entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Senator Cory Booker, former Representative Beto O’Rourke, Senator Amy Klobuchar and former housing secretary Julián Castro. |
| ABC is determined to end this debate with a soft-focus question to the candidates about how they’ve overcome a professional setback. | ABC is determined to end this debate with a soft-focus question to the candidates about how they’ve overcome a professional setback. |
| Mr. Biden pivoted to a rambling recitation of his painful, personal setbacks: the car crash that killed his first wife and infant daughter, his son Beau’s death from brain cancer. | Mr. Biden pivoted to a rambling recitation of his painful, personal setbacks: the car crash that killed his first wife and infant daughter, his son Beau’s death from brain cancer. |
| Ms. Warren spoke of being dismissed from her first public school teaching job when she became pregnant. | Ms. Warren spoke of being dismissed from her first public school teaching job when she became pregnant. |
| Mr. Sanders reminded the audience that when he first ran for office in Vermont he received 1 percent of the vote for Senate, and then 2 percent for governor. | Mr. Sanders reminded the audience that when he first ran for office in Vermont he received 1 percent of the vote for Senate, and then 2 percent for governor. |
| And Mr. Buttigieg told of his internal personal conflict about coming out as a gay man while he was up for re-election as mayor of South Bend. | |
| In the absence of closing statements, these personal anecdotes serve to leave the debate viewers with a sense of who the candidates are without diving too far into their policy prescriptions. | In the absence of closing statements, these personal anecdotes serve to leave the debate viewers with a sense of who the candidates are without diving too far into their policy prescriptions. |
| In one of the toughest phrased questions of the night, Mr. Biden was asked about saying four decades ago that “I’ll be damned if I feel responsible to pay for what happened 300 years ago” in regards to reparations for slavery. | In one of the toughest phrased questions of the night, Mr. Biden was asked about saying four decades ago that “I’ll be damned if I feel responsible to pay for what happened 300 years ago” in regards to reparations for slavery. |
| He delivered a long and winding answer that began with talk of “institutional segregation” and ended with a comment about keeping a “record player on at night” so poor children learn new words. | |
| In between, he spoke about education, raising teacher salaries to $60,000, the ratio of school psychologists, the fact that he is married to a teacher (and that his late wife was one too), and expanding schools to 3- and 4-year-olds. | |
| “Play the radio, make sure the television — excuse me, make sure you have the record player on at night, the — make sure that kids hear words, a kid coming from a very poor schoo— a very poor background will hear 4 million words fewer spoken by the time we get there,” Mr. Biden said. | “Play the radio, make sure the television — excuse me, make sure you have the record player on at night, the — make sure that kids hear words, a kid coming from a very poor schoo— a very poor background will hear 4 million words fewer spoken by the time we get there,” Mr. Biden said. |
| The moderators tried to call time. | The moderators tried to call time. |
| “No,” Mr. Biden said, “I’m going to go like the rest of them do — twice over.” He pivoted to Venezuela briefly. | “No,” Mr. Biden said, “I’m going to go like the rest of them do — twice over.” He pivoted to Venezuela briefly. |
| “Well, that was quite a lot,” Mr. Castro said when his turn came. | “Well, that was quite a lot,” Mr. Castro said when his turn came. |
| As the debate delved into foreign policy, Mr. Biden, without being asked, brought up and lamented his 2002 vote to authorize President George W. Bush to launch the Iraq war. | As the debate delved into foreign policy, Mr. Biden, without being asked, brought up and lamented his 2002 vote to authorize President George W. Bush to launch the Iraq war. |
| “I should have never voted to give Bush the authority to go in and do what we said he was going to do,” Mr. Biden said. | “I should have never voted to give Bush the authority to go in and do what we said he was going to do,” Mr. Biden said. |
| He went on to say he opposed Mr. Bush’s execution of the war that he voted to authorize. | He went on to say he opposed Mr. Bush’s execution of the war that he voted to authorize. |
| “What I was arguing against in the beginning, once he started to put the troops in, was that in fact we were doing it the wrong way, there was no plan, we should not be engaged, we didn’t have the people with us, we didn’t have our allies with it,” Mr. Biden said. | “What I was arguing against in the beginning, once he started to put the troops in, was that in fact we were doing it the wrong way, there was no plan, we should not be engaged, we didn’t have the people with us, we didn’t have our allies with it,” Mr. Biden said. |
| There was no way Mr. Sanders was going to let that go, and he did not. He took square aim at the polling front-runner, once again drawing a stark distinction between the two men. | There was no way Mr. Sanders was going to let that go, and he did not. He took square aim at the polling front-runner, once again drawing a stark distinction between the two men. |
| “The truth is, the huge mistake, and one of the differences between you and me is that I never believed what Cheney and Bush said,” he said. “I voted against the war in Iraq and led the opposition to it.” | “The truth is, the huge mistake, and one of the differences between you and me is that I never believed what Cheney and Bush said,” he said. “I voted against the war in Iraq and led the opposition to it.” |
| In the first nearly 100 minutes of debate, the Democratic field was cleaved between aggressors, defenders and relative wallflowers, with most of the attacks continuing to be aimed at Mr. Biden, whose durability atop the polls has taken some rivals by surprise. | In the first nearly 100 minutes of debate, the Democratic field was cleaved between aggressors, defenders and relative wallflowers, with most of the attacks continuing to be aimed at Mr. Biden, whose durability atop the polls has taken some rivals by surprise. |
| The candidates sparred, yet again, over health care policy, what to do about institutional racism, guns and trade. | The candidates sparred, yet again, over health care policy, what to do about institutional racism, guns and trade. |
| Mr. Biden stumbled at times over some specifics but delivered a more forceful defense of his record than at the two earlier debates. Some landed some early offensive framing of his own, particularly with Ms. Warren who has close the polling gap on him. | Mr. Biden stumbled at times over some specifics but delivered a more forceful defense of his record than at the two earlier debates. Some landed some early offensive framing of his own, particularly with Ms. Warren who has close the polling gap on him. |
| “I know that the senator says she’s for Bernie, well, I’m for Barack,” Mr. Biden said, speaking of health care but really about much more. | “I know that the senator says she’s for Bernie, well, I’m for Barack,” Mr. Biden said, speaking of health care but really about much more. |
| For the most part, Ms. Warren was willing to fade from the center stage spot she had secured for herself, making her case against political corruption more than against any particular rival as he ongoing truce with Mr. Sanders continued to hold. | For the most part, Ms. Warren was willing to fade from the center stage spot she had secured for herself, making her case against political corruption more than against any particular rival as he ongoing truce with Mr. Sanders continued to hold. |
| The most aggressive candidate onstage was Mr. Castro, who questioned Mr. Biden both on policy and, pointedly, his memory. | The most aggressive candidate onstage was Mr. Castro, who questioned Mr. Biden both on policy and, pointedly, his memory. |
| “Are you forgetting what you said just two minutes ago?’ Mr. Castro questioned the former vice president. | “Are you forgetting what you said just two minutes ago?’ Mr. Castro questioned the former vice president. |
| Mr. Booker and Mr. Buttigieg, who have framed themselves as healers and uniters, tried at times to intervene in the food fighting, as Mr. O’Rourke used the emotional resonance of the recent shooting in El Paso to break through the din with an emotional call to confiscate assault-style rifles. | |
| Ms. Harris, meanwhile, made it plain from her opening statement what he plan was: to not debate her rivals onstage but pivot to President Trump at every opportunity, often with preplanned lines. | Ms. Harris, meanwhile, made it plain from her opening statement what he plan was: to not debate her rivals onstage but pivot to President Trump at every opportunity, often with preplanned lines. |
| “He reminds me of that guy in ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ when you pull back the curtain, it’s a really small dude,” she said to laughs. | |
| Mr. Yang and Ms. Klobuchar mostly faded from view unless called upon. | Mr. Yang and Ms. Klobuchar mostly faded from view unless called upon. |
| Mr. O’Rourke is no longer standing at center stage. And it showed on Thursday because his rivals kept praising him for his role in healing the community in El Paso after the recent shooting. | Mr. O’Rourke is no longer standing at center stage. And it showed on Thursday because his rivals kept praising him for his role in healing the community in El Paso after the recent shooting. |
| Mr. Biden first: “The way he handled what happened in his hometown is meaningful.” Ms. Harris: “Beto, god love you for standing courageously in the midst of that tragedy.” | |
| When Mr. O’Rourke got his chance, his voice rose in a crescendo as he invoked a curse word — albeit one that can air on national television, calling for mandatory buybacks of assault rifles. | When Mr. O’Rourke got his chance, his voice rose in a crescendo as he invoked a curse word — albeit one that can air on national television, calling for mandatory buybacks of assault rifles. |
| “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47. We’re not going to allow it to be used against a fellow American anymore,” Mr. O’Rourke declared. | “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47. We’re not going to allow it to be used against a fellow American anymore,” Mr. O’Rourke declared. |
| The crowd gave him one of the loudest cheers of the night. | The crowd gave him one of the loudest cheers of the night. |
| Ms. Klobuchar wouldn’t endorse a mandatory buybacks of assault-style rifles, instead praising the various gun control proposals backed by all of the Democratic presidential candidates. | Ms. Klobuchar wouldn’t endorse a mandatory buybacks of assault-style rifles, instead praising the various gun control proposals backed by all of the Democratic presidential candidates. |
| “I personally think we should start with a voluntary buyback program,” she said. | “I personally think we should start with a voluntary buyback program,” she said. |
| Mr. Booker was less laudatory of Mr. O’Rourke, as he said communities like his own have long been plagued by gun violence. | Mr. Booker was less laudatory of Mr. O’Rourke, as he said communities like his own have long been plagued by gun violence. |
| “I’m sorry that it had to take issues coming to my neighborhood or personally affecting Beto to make us demand change,” Mr. Booker said. | “I’m sorry that it had to take issues coming to my neighborhood or personally affecting Beto to make us demand change,” Mr. Booker said. |
| Mr. Sanders was asked, as he has been before, about how his brand of democratic socialism compares to “the ones being imposed in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua,” as Mr. Ramos put it. | Mr. Sanders was asked, as he has been before, about how his brand of democratic socialism compares to “the ones being imposed in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua,” as Mr. Ramos put it. |
| Mr. Sanders, as he has done before, rejected the framing. | Mr. Sanders, as he has done before, rejected the framing. |
| “I’ll tell you what I believe in terms of democratic socialism. I agree with goes on in Canada and Scandinavia,” said, saying he was for universal health care, paid leave and living wages, and then inveighed against the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few billionaires. | “I’ll tell you what I believe in terms of democratic socialism. I agree with goes on in Canada and Scandinavia,” said, saying he was for universal health care, paid leave and living wages, and then inveighed against the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few billionaires. |
| Mr. Sanders was also asked why he does not call Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro a “dictator.” | Mr. Sanders was also asked why he does not call Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro a “dictator.” |
| “Anybody that does what Maduro does is a vicious tyrant. What we need now is international and regional cooperation for free elections in Venezuela to the people of that country can create their own future,” Mr. Sanders said. | “Anybody that does what Maduro does is a vicious tyrant. What we need now is international and regional cooperation for free elections in Venezuela to the people of that country can create their own future,” Mr. Sanders said. |
| Castro came next. “I’ll call Maduro a dictator,” he said. “Because he is a dictator.” | Castro came next. “I’ll call Maduro a dictator,” he said. “Because he is a dictator.” |
| Ms. Klobuchar and Ms. Harris got tough questions about their records as prosecutors not being sufficiently progressive — and both largely dodged the specifics in responding. | Ms. Klobuchar and Ms. Harris got tough questions about their records as prosecutors not being sufficiently progressive — and both largely dodged the specifics in responding. |
| “That’s not my record,” Ms. Klobuchar said when told that the A.C.L.U. was sour about her record responding to police shootings of black men when she was the district attorney in Minneapolis. | “That’s not my record,” Ms. Klobuchar said when told that the A.C.L.U. was sour about her record responding to police shootings of black men when she was the district attorney in Minneapolis. |
| “What changes did we make?” she said. “Go after white collar crimes in a big way. Diversity in office in a big way. Work with the Innocence Project to make sure we do much better with eyewitness I.D.” | “What changes did we make?” she said. “Go after white collar crimes in a big way. Diversity in office in a big way. Work with the Innocence Project to make sure we do much better with eyewitness I.D.” |
| Ms. Harris said she “glad you asked me this question,” though mostly avoided answering it, claiming “many distortions” of her record. | Ms. Harris said she “glad you asked me this question,” though mostly avoided answering it, claiming “many distortions” of her record. |
| Ultimately, she took some ownership of that record. “Was I able to get enough done? Absolutely not,” Ms. Harris said, pitching her new criminal justice plan as ambitious going forward. | Ultimately, she took some ownership of that record. “Was I able to get enough done? Absolutely not,” Ms. Harris said, pitching her new criminal justice plan as ambitious going forward. |
| After Ms. Klobuchar and Ms. Harris spoke, Mr. Biden made sure to note he became a public defender, leaving unsaid the contrast with the other prosecutors onstage. | After Ms. Klobuchar and Ms. Harris spoke, Mr. Biden made sure to note he became a public defender, leaving unsaid the contrast with the other prosecutors onstage. |
| Jonathan Martin and Astead W. Herndon contributed reporting from Houston. | Jonathan Martin and Astead W. Herndon contributed reporting from Houston. |