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Live Updates Ahead of Tonight’s Democratic Debate in South Carolina Tonight’s Democratic Debate: Live Updates From South Carolina
(about 1 hour later)
The South Carolina primary, where 54 delegates are at stake, is on Saturday.The South Carolina primary, where 54 delegates are at stake, is on Saturday.
Last week’s debate in Las Vegas was the fiercest yet as candidates took more personal swipes at one another. With the addition of Michael R. Bloomberg, that debate set a TV ratings record.Last week’s debate in Las Vegas was the fiercest yet as candidates took more personal swipes at one another. With the addition of Michael R. Bloomberg, that debate set a TV ratings record.
Seven Democratic candidates qualified for the debate on Tuesday: former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.; Mr. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City; former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind.; Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont; Tom Steyer, a billionaire businessman; and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.Seven Democratic candidates qualified for the debate on Tuesday: former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.; Mr. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City; former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind.; Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont; Tom Steyer, a billionaire businessman; and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
The moderators are Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King. Margaret Brennan of “Face the Nation,” Major Garrett and Bill Whitaker of “60 Minutes” will join in with questions.The moderators are Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King. Margaret Brennan of “Face the Nation,” Major Garrett and Bill Whitaker of “60 Minutes” will join in with questions.
The New York Times will have extensive debate coverage, including a live analysis throughout the event. Follow real-time analysis from New York Times reporters in our live chat, or catch up on the highlights below.
Mr. Biden refused to consider the possibility of losing South Carolina, a state which he has previously called his “firewall” in the 2020 primary, and would not answer if he would depart the state if he lost.
“I will win South Carolina,” Mr. Biden said.
He declined to say if he would quit the race if he lost. He has finished fourth, fifth and second in the first three contests.
In the opening 10 minutes, Mr. Sanders came under attack from Mr. Buttigieg, Mr. Steyer, Mr. Biden, Mr. Bloomberg and Ms. Warren.
“I’m hearing my name mentioned a little bit tonight,” he joked of his newfound front-runner status. “I wonder why.”
Ms. Warren, who has spent recent weeks avoiding direct confrontation with Mr. Sanders, decided to end that tactic in the opening moments of the debate.
“The way I see this is that Bernie is winning right now because the Democratic Party is a progressive party, and progressive ideas are popular ideas, even if there are a lot of people on this stage who don’t want to say so,” she began.
Then she pivoted.
“Bernie and I agree on a lot of things,” she said. “But I think I would make a better president than Bernie.”
She said she had a record of accomplishments.
On the consumer credit agency, she said, “I dug it. I did the work and then Bernie’s team trashed me for it.”
On health care, she added, “Bernie’s plan doesn’t explain how we’re going to get there.”
She concluded, “Progressives have got one shot and they need to spend it with a leader to get things done.”
The debate began with a question to Mr. Sanders about the economy, and he went straight to his stump speech talking points.
“The economy is doing really great for people like Mr. Bloomberg and other billionaires,” Mr. Sanders said. “For the ordinary American, things are not so good. Last year, real wage increases for the average worker were less than 1 percent.”
Mr. Bloomberg shot back: “I think Donald Trump thinks it would be better if he’s president. I do not think so. Vladimir Putin thinks that Donald Trump should be president of the United States, and that’s why Russia is helping you get elected.”
Mr. Buttigieg then jumped in, trying to present himself as a unifying figure while rivals took big swings at each other.
“I mean, look, if you think the last four years has been chaotic, divisive, toxic, exhausting, imagine spending the better part of 2020 with Bernie Sanders versus Donald Trump,” he said. “Think about what that will be like for this country.”
The seven Democratic contenders walked out to their podiums single-file, all waves and smiles as they faced the audience. Mr. Bloomberg grinned more than he did last week, and blew a kiss to someone in the audience. The candidates moved so fast that they didn’t shake hands or engage much with each other.
It’s hard to imagine a worse showing for a presidential candidate appearing in his first debate than the one Mr. Bloomberg had last week. That’s the good news for him. The bar is relatively low tonight. And inside his campaign, the prevailing view is that despite the weak performance — some aides described him as nervous, restrained, out-of-practice and seriously underwhelming — it was not the fatal blow that his opponents were high-fiving about.It’s hard to imagine a worse showing for a presidential candidate appearing in his first debate than the one Mr. Bloomberg had last week. That’s the good news for him. The bar is relatively low tonight. And inside his campaign, the prevailing view is that despite the weak performance — some aides described him as nervous, restrained, out-of-practice and seriously underwhelming — it was not the fatal blow that his opponents were high-fiving about.
But for Mr. Bloomberg to avoid slipping into irrelevance, he needs a breakout debate. Any candidate in his position will try to prove wrong the skeptics and doubters — those who say that Mr. Bloomberg, at 78 and a decade into retirement as a politician, no longer has what it takes.But for Mr. Bloomberg to avoid slipping into irrelevance, he needs a breakout debate. Any candidate in his position will try to prove wrong the skeptics and doubters — those who say that Mr. Bloomberg, at 78 and a decade into retirement as a politician, no longer has what it takes.
He also will try to prove to the people who support him or are considering him on Super Tuesday — when he will appear on ballots for the first time — that he is what he has been telling them he is. All along, Mr. Bloomberg has sold himself as the “un-Trump,” as he calls it — the only person in the race capable of going toe-to-toe with the president. Mr. Bloomberg likes to say that he has dealt with “bullies like Donald Trump all my life in New York.” The debate stands as his chance to show voters he can really push back.He also will try to prove to the people who support him or are considering him on Super Tuesday — when he will appear on ballots for the first time — that he is what he has been telling them he is. All along, Mr. Bloomberg has sold himself as the “un-Trump,” as he calls it — the only person in the race capable of going toe-to-toe with the president. Mr. Bloomberg likes to say that he has dealt with “bullies like Donald Trump all my life in New York.” The debate stands as his chance to show voters he can really push back.
For months, Mr. Biden, his campaign and his allies have bet that the former vice president will land a resounding victory in the South Carolina primary, powered by strong support from African-American voters. But in the final weeks before the contest, Mr. Biden’s standing in the state has slipped and he now faces a race that is far more competitive than many of his supporters expected.For months, Mr. Biden, his campaign and his allies have bet that the former vice president will land a resounding victory in the South Carolina primary, powered by strong support from African-American voters. But in the final weeks before the contest, Mr. Biden’s standing in the state has slipped and he now faces a race that is far more competitive than many of his supporters expected.
He still has many prominent allies in South Carolina, and Representative James E. Clyburn, the most influential Democrat in the state, appears poised to endorse him. But he needs to do everything possible to blunt Mr. Sanders’s momentum, starting with an energetic debate performance on Tuesday night. In a state he once considered his firewall, can he land some effective hits on his chief rival and persuade voters on the fence to stick with him?He still has many prominent allies in South Carolina, and Representative James E. Clyburn, the most influential Democrat in the state, appears poised to endorse him. But he needs to do everything possible to blunt Mr. Sanders’s momentum, starting with an energetic debate performance on Tuesday night. In a state he once considered his firewall, can he land some effective hits on his chief rival and persuade voters on the fence to stick with him?
Three days after Saturday’s South Carolina primary, 14 states will vote on Super Tuesday, a series of races that account for about one-third of total delegate allocation. How the candidates fare onstage could have significant implications for their standing in those states the following week.Three days after Saturday’s South Carolina primary, 14 states will vote on Super Tuesday, a series of races that account for about one-third of total delegate allocation. How the candidates fare onstage could have significant implications for their standing in those states the following week.
For Mr. Bloomberg in particular, who is not even contesting South Carolina but is anchoring his campaign in Super Tuesday races, the debate will test whether he can deliver a steadier performance and calm supporters’ nerves after a disastrous first showing onstage last week. For Mr. Sanders, fresh off a strong victory in Nevada, a debate in which he looks to be a focus of attacks will test the durability of his support in upcoming states. And for the others onstage, the debate will offer a chance to generate some momentum headed into the South Carolina contest and then the Super Tuesday states — if any of them can land a breakout moment.For Mr. Bloomberg in particular, who is not even contesting South Carolina but is anchoring his campaign in Super Tuesday races, the debate will test whether he can deliver a steadier performance and calm supporters’ nerves after a disastrous first showing onstage last week. For Mr. Sanders, fresh off a strong victory in Nevada, a debate in which he looks to be a focus of attacks will test the durability of his support in upcoming states. And for the others onstage, the debate will offer a chance to generate some momentum headed into the South Carolina contest and then the Super Tuesday states — if any of them can land a breakout moment.
South Carolina’s first-in-the-South positioning makes this weekend’s debate and primary especially important. For all candidates, it is their first time to show prowess among a large sector of black voters, who make up more than 60 percent of the South Carolina Democratic electorate and have historically been a predictor of who wins the Democratic nomination. Mr. Sanders would intimately know its importance: His low numbers among older black voters in particular blocked him from winning the nomination in 2016.South Carolina’s first-in-the-South positioning makes this weekend’s debate and primary especially important. For all candidates, it is their first time to show prowess among a large sector of black voters, who make up more than 60 percent of the South Carolina Democratic electorate and have historically been a predictor of who wins the Democratic nomination. Mr. Sanders would intimately know its importance: His low numbers among older black voters in particular blocked him from winning the nomination in 2016.
This time around, the race looks more fluid. Aides to Mr. Biden have called black voters his electoral “firewall,” citing his longtime relationships in the state and proximity to former President Barack Obama. However, as Mr. Biden has stumbled in early states and other candidates, such as a surging Mr. Sanders and the billionaire Mr. Steyer, have invested heavily, some cracks are beginning to show.This time around, the race looks more fluid. Aides to Mr. Biden have called black voters his electoral “firewall,” citing his longtime relationships in the state and proximity to former President Barack Obama. However, as Mr. Biden has stumbled in early states and other candidates, such as a surging Mr. Sanders and the billionaire Mr. Steyer, have invested heavily, some cracks are beginning to show.
It is quite simple: If Mr. Biden wins South Carolina by wide margins, his campaign will claim it as a sign of revival. If not, and the once promised firewall looks split across voters, it could be his final blow.It is quite simple: If Mr. Biden wins South Carolina by wide margins, his campaign will claim it as a sign of revival. If not, and the once promised firewall looks split across voters, it could be his final blow.
One of the many confounding parts of Ms. Warren’s candidacy has been her inability to grow support among black and Latino Democrats despite significant investment. She was a nonfactor among Latino voters in Nevada, as Mr. Sanders swept to victory, and she needs to improve her low standing among black voters to become a serious contender in this nomination process.One of the many confounding parts of Ms. Warren’s candidacy has been her inability to grow support among black and Latino Democrats despite significant investment. She was a nonfactor among Latino voters in Nevada, as Mr. Sanders swept to victory, and she needs to improve her low standing among black voters to become a serious contender in this nomination process.
Her campaign has tried to play down the weak results from the Nevada caucuses, saying that too many people voted before her much-lauded debate performance could influence them. However, with another debate and just two days in between the South Carolina primary and the all-important Super Tuesday, where a large number of delegates will be distributed, Ms. Warren needs to turn moral victories into actual victories at the ballot box.Her campaign has tried to play down the weak results from the Nevada caucuses, saying that too many people voted before her much-lauded debate performance could influence them. However, with another debate and just two days in between the South Carolina primary and the all-important Super Tuesday, where a large number of delegates will be distributed, Ms. Warren needs to turn moral victories into actual victories at the ballot box.
Ms. Warren has chiefly sought to appeal to black voters with policies that target racial discrimination and injustice. However, with Mr. Sanders dominating among younger voters and more moderate candidates appealing to the older crowd, Ms. Warren must find a way to break the ideological squeeze that has hurt her candidacy for months.Ms. Warren has chiefly sought to appeal to black voters with policies that target racial discrimination and injustice. However, with Mr. Sanders dominating among younger voters and more moderate candidates appealing to the older crowd, Ms. Warren must find a way to break the ideological squeeze that has hurt her candidacy for months.
As a top adviser to Mr. Sanders said over the weekend, “There are a lot of knives out for Bernie Sanders.” New York’s first black mayor, David N. Dinkins, is the latest African-American surrogate to endorse Michael R. Bloomberg for the Democratic nomination for president, Mr. Bloomberg’s campaign announced Tuesday.
After finishing at the top in Iowa, narrowly winning New Hampshire and dominating in Nevada, Mr. Sanders has undeniably taken the pole position in the Democratic primary race. His rivals aren’t happy about it. They have already started to knock him much more forcefully than ever before — for his record on gun control, for his political ideology, for his recent praise for aspects of Fidel Castro’s leadership. When Mr. Bloomberg announced that he would run for the nomination, many felt that explaining his support of stop and frisk — where police stopped and searched millions of innocent black and Latino men — to African-American voters would be one of his biggest hurdles.
But the debate will provide them with a national stage to hammer the senator from Vermont, and it’s a safe bet to say they will use it. Will Mr. Sanders be ready? But after apologizing for the policy, Mr. Bloomberg has garnered the support of black mayors in San Francisco, Houston and Washington.
His campaign hopes so, and he has been actively preparing for such criticism. But he has never been the lone front-runner on a debate stage before, and it will be an unfamiliar test. “Mike and I share core values of inclusion, fairness, a commitment to strengthening our communities, and supporting the least among us,” Mr. Dinkins, 92, said in a statement released by the Bloomberg campaign. “Being mayor of New York is the second-hardest job in the country. Mike and I know the challenges of governing a major metropolis unlike any other city in the world,”
Mr. Sanders may also do some of his own punching. In recent days he has forcefully gone after Mr. Bloomberg, with whom he has traded barbs relentlessly. Each views the other as his biggest threat to the nomination, but they are also each other’s perfect foil. It could get messy out there. “As mayor, Mike brought all New Yorkers together after the 9/11 attacks, no matter their background, race or religion. He led the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan and then guided the city through the Great Recession. He fought to get guns off our streets, strengthened our public schools, created nearly half a million jobs and expanded job training programs for our most vulnerable youth,” Mr. Dinkins continued.
Mr. Buttigieg has been the second-biggest spender on advertising in South Carolina, behind only Mr. Steyer. (Mr. Bloomberg, the biggest spender nationally, isn’t on the ballot on Saturday and isn’t advertising.) Many of those ads have been aimed at the African-American voters who remain skeptical of him. The latest NBC News/Marist Poll had him winning just 4 percent of the black vote among likely Democratic primary voters and 9 percent over all, putting him in a virtual tie with Ms. Warren for fourth place. Mr. Bloomberg called Mr. Dinkins a “a great New Yorker and a great American — a decorated veteran, a trailblazing public servant, and a man of integrity and dignity” who “knows what it takes to lead on issues Democrats care most about.”
But the debate will be an opportunity for many in the state to hear from Mr. Buttigieg in a form other than a carefully scripted paid message. It represents his biggest opportunity to convert wary black voters into supporters. He will no doubt be asked about his inability to connect with them, as he has in almost every other debate. Christina Greer, an associate professor of political science at Fordham University, said Mr. Bloomberg’s support from black officials may be indicative of how black voters have focused on a single issue this presidential election: “Making sure Donald Trump is not re-elected,” she said.
Never have the stakes been higher for him, though. After all the money he spent trying to attract South Carolinians, he needs to emerge after Saturday’s vote with at least a modest showing among black voters. Without that, his opponents will pounce. Up until South Carolina, their claims that he could not win black support and unite the party were speculative. This primary will put some hard, irrefutable numbers on that. “The pragmatism of the black voter cannot be underestimated or disrespected,” said Professor Greer. “Bloomberg is a known quantity.”
After stringing together several strong debate performances, Ms. Klobuchar flopped in the Nevada debate last week, coming off as jittery and unable to withstand attacks from her rivals. With pressure mounting for her to drop out of the race — she finished sixth in Nevada, after Mr. Steyer — will she make a debate-stage comeback? One of Mr. Dinkins’s mentees, the current New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, has endorsed Mr. Sanders.
In past debates, Ms. Klobuchar’s favorite target has been her fellow Midwestern moderate, Mr. Buttigieg. But last week, the two seemed like squabbling teenagers. “Are you trying to say that I’m dumb?” she spat at him at one point, her resentment never clearer. If she goes after him again, she risks looking petty — and it could turn off fickle moderate Democrats who are still trying to decide between her and the other moderates in the race. CHARLESTON, S.C. — Mr. Biden is counting on a win in South Carolina’s primary on Saturday, and one of his supporters is predicting it will be a sizable victory, too.
Yet some of her best moments on the debate stage have occurred at his expense, too. Remember when she dismissed him for being a “local official” and implied he was too inexperienced? “I believe in South Carolina, we will win by double digits on Saturday,” Representative G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina told reporters at a gathering held by the Biden campaign ahead of Tuesday night’s debate.
The big question is which Klobuchar will show up tomorrow. Her candidacy may be riding on it. Symone D. Sanders, a senior adviser for the Biden campaign, did not offer a prediction as precise as Mr. Butterfield’s, but reiterated that Mr. Biden would emerge with a victory on Saturday. “We’re not concerned about losing South Carolina, because it’s not going to happen,” she said. “We are going to win here.”
Mr. Biden’s team was aiming for at least a second-place finish in Nevada, and they achieved that result — though Mr. Sanders won by a wide margin. A commanding victory on Saturday would give Mr. Biden momentum heading into Super Tuesday next week. A narrow victory would provide less of a boost, and a loss would be disastrous for him.
“We’re looking forward to South Carolina being a launching pad into Super Tuesday,” said Representative Terri A. Sewell of Alabama, which is among the 14 states voting next Tuesday. “We feel very confident that we will have the wind at our back leading into Super Tuesday.”
Mr. Obama has not endorsed anyone in the Democratic primary, but some candidates seem to want voters to think he has. And according to a new poll, they may be succeeding.
A new Morning Consult/New York Times poll found that 27 percent of voters believed incorrectly that Mr. Obama had endorsed Mr. Bloomberg — slightly more than the 23 percent who believed that he had endorsed Mr. Biden. Only 39 percent knew that Mr. Obama had not, in fact, endorsed anybody.
The poll, conducted from Feb. 20-23 among 6,600 adults, has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point.
Mr. Biden, of course, has been name-checking Mr. Obama at every opportunity for months, trying to reap the benefits of his eight years as vice president to win over Obama fans with or without an endorsement. But in recent weeks, Mr. Bloomberg has joined in, flooding the airwaves with ads that feature old clips of Mr. Obama praising him.
The ads have annoyed Mr. Biden, who has responded by highlighting times Mr. Bloomberg criticized Mr. Obama.
Jeffrey C. Mays, Maggie Astor and Thomas Kaplan contributed reporting.