It would be a stretch to argue that the first night of the second Democratic debates produced a clear winner, but it certainly highlighted one set of candidates who were active and present throughout the debate, and others who were virtually invisible.
For better or worse, viewers felt the presence of the following five candidates on Wednesday night: Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Marianne Williamson, John Delaney, and Pete Buttigieg.
But the following five candidates were virtually invisible: Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Steve Bullock, John Hickenlooper, and Tim Ryan. Of those five, Klobuchar and O’Rourke were the only candidates who were ever considered to have had a chance in the Democratic race, and it’s difficult after Wednesday to see how either of them break out of the low single digits in polling.
Of those who were visible, Warren, Sanders, and Buttigieg treaded water. That is, they more or less appealed to those people who are inclined to like them, without really gaining or losing ground. If you like talk of a radical revolution sweeping away private insurance, then Sanders was yelling about it just like he always does. If you like sweeping left-wing policy proposals that have no chance of becoming law served with angry rhetoric about corporations and the wealthy rigging the game, than Warren was as on point as ever. For Warren, this is the second straight debate in which she was denied a chance to contrast herself with front-runner Joe Biden and had to spar with those polling in the low single digits. If you like a younger face who supports liberal ideas in a calmer manner, Buttigieg held his ground.
That leaves two other low-polling candidates who probably did the best they could to advance themselves: Williamson and Delaney.
Williamson’s New Age speaking style brings a different approach to questions that’s well suited to produce viral moments on social media, as she did when she addressed racism and talked about President Trump promoting a “dark psychic force.” She also pushed back against some of the wonky discussions alienating people, and at times separated herself from both the ideological camps that formed on stage. According to Google Trends, she was the most-searched candidate during the debate.
As for Delaney, he received a ton of speaking time for a candidate polling at the sub-1% level. And he made the most of it, offering pointed and specific critiques of the fairy tale nature of left-wing proposals on socialized healthcare, climate change, and trade. Both Warren and Sanders were forced to punch down throughout the debate to respond to his energetic attacks.
To be sure, I’m skeptical that there’s much market for Delaney. His paradox: He’s trying to appeal to voters who are more pragmatic, but more pragmatic voters don’t generally get behind candidates polling at 0.7%. The Democratic voters who are spooked by the radical Left are more likely to support Biden. That having been said, Delaney can be happy with himself for taking the advantage of the opportunity he was given, as CNN moderators used him as a foil to make the sorts of arguments that are likely to come up during the general election. If he is ever going to see a bump in the polls, it would be after tonight.
Unfortunately for the candidates on stage tonight, however, much of what happened is likely to be forgotten by tomorrow, which will be the rematch of Biden vs. Kamala Harris.
