A Night at the Circus

And then there were seven. The smallest field of candidates yet traded barbs about age, experience and “wine caves” Thursday night at the PBS NewsHour/POLITICO Democratic primary showdown in Los Angeles. They dove into touchy issues of race, net worth, Thorium-generated nuclear power—and whether to boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympics. And each made his or her best case against President Donald Trump, whom Congress impeached on Wednesday night.

POLITICO photographer Scott Mahaskey was behind the scenes with the candidates in L.A., tracking the spectacle the entire time. He captured the tense early moments when the candidates stood behind the heavy curtains just off-stage, waiting for their names to be called. He trained his camera on the contenders as they squabbled about high-dollar fundraisers, raised their hands to get the attention of the moderators, scribbled notes and squinted under bright lights. He followed them into the spin room where the press swarmed them, peppering them with post-debate queries.
 
Ever wonder what it’s really like to run for president? These photos open a window into the conspicuous, grueling world of presidential campaigning as the candidates head into 2020. Here’s what Scott saw.

Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez was the first to take the stage, firing up the crowd before the candidates arrived. When he finished, the 2020 contenders paused backstage, waiting for their names to be called one-by-one.

After the candidates were introduced to applause, they stood shoulder-to-shoulder as the cameras clicked.

The debate got feisty—especially when the candidates sparred over health care and took on each other’s age and experience level. “When we were in the last debate, Mayor, you basically mocked the hundred years of experience on the stage,” Amy Klobuchar shot at Pete Buttigieg, before pointing out Elizabeth Warren’s establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Joe Biden’s work funding cancer research, Bernie Sanders’ efforts to help veterans and her own advocacy for farmers.

During each break, the candidates retreated backstage.

Biden was all smiles all night, at one point planting a kiss on Al Sharpton’s head during a break.

When the debate wrapped, Warren made a beeline for progressive activist Ady Barkan, who was diagnosed with terminal ALS in 2016 and endorsed Warren in November. Barkan communicates through a computer system that tracks his eye movements. He wrote Warren: “Everyone saw that tonight. You shone.”

In the spin room, the press crowded the candidates, eager to get their thoughts on the dramatic night. When POLITICO caught up with Andrew Yang, we asked him what he was going to do after the show: “Going to see ‘Star Wars’ with my lovely wife and maybe Donald Glover,” he said.