Who won the debate?
Who won Thursday’s Democratic presidential debate? On a stage this crowded — the 10 candidates who debated in Miami on Thursday represented the second half of the 20-candidate field over two nights — it’s hard to say. But Kamala Harris looked pretty darn commanding.
Harris’ confrontation of Joe Biden over the former vice president’s comments about segregationist senators and past stances on school busing were the talk of the debate, but she was strong and steady throughout.
In addition to Harris, here are POLITICO's awards and demerits for the night, based on our immediate impressions of the candidates' performances:
Most Viral Moment: Kamala Harris vs. Joe Biden
While Cory Booker was busy jabbing at Joe Biden last week, Kamala Harris was lying in wait. Knowing that she would be standing on the debate stage with Biden Thursday night, Harris mostly kept her powder dry as Booker became Biden’s leading critic for the vice president’s assertion that he could work with segregationist senators, like Jim Eastland (D-Miss.) or Herman Talmadge (D-Ga.).
But it was Harris who got the big, made-for-TV moment. As Pete Buttigieg and Eric Swalwell sparred over the recent shooting of a black resident of South Bend by a white police officer, Harris jumped in and rolled a grenade under Biden’s podium.
“As the only black person on stage, I would like to speak to the issue of race,” Harris said.
More specifically, she wanted to talk about the issue of race...and Joe Biden. “I do not believe you are a racist,” she told Biden, “and I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground. But I also believe — and it's personal — it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country.”
Harris also pummeled Biden for his past opposition to federally mandated busing in the 1970s and had the right line ready when Biden suggested that decision should have been one made by local authorities.
“There are moments in history where states fail to preserve the civil rights of all people,” Harris said.
Most Unfortunate Phrase: Biden
After Harris invoked the history of federal intervention to ensure racial equality, Biden defended himself, noting his long-standing support for the Equal Rights Amendment and work to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act.
But when his 30-second rebuttal period ended, he stopped suddenly, mid-sentence: “Anyway, my time is up.”
Most Rescued: Pete Buttigieg
It will be overlooked, but Harris’ star turn began at a precarious moment for Buttigieg. The South Bend mayor approached the question about a police-involved shooting with humility. Asked why he hadn’t increased the number of black police officers in his city, Buttigieg said, “Because I couldn’t get it done.”
But despite that approach, Buttigieg still found himself on the ropes, with Swalwell pressing him why he didn’t fire South Bend’s police chief. Until Harris jumped in and took on Biden.
It saved what was otherwise a strong night for Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor standing next to two septuagenarians: Biden and Bernie Sanders. Despite his rise in the early primary polls, Thursday may have been many Democratic voters’ first look at Buttigieg, and he demonstrated lots of political talent.
Loudest Candidate: Bernie Sanders
We could have awarded this superlative to the Brooklynite-cum-Vermonter ahead of time. Anyone who watched Sanders in the 2016 primary debates knows to turn down the volume on their televisions to modulate his projection.
Sanders wasn’t just the loudest candidate — he was the most combative. When the other candidates criticized his Medicare-for-All health care plan, Sanders shot back, even though other candidates have also signed onto it.
And when Swalwell rolled out his “pass the torch” theme — referencing a speech Biden gave in California 32 years ago — it was actually Sanders, the oldest candidate on the stage, who was most eager to fire back.
The Jim Webb Award (Least Talkative): Andrew Yang
The former tech executive has built a very small- but-dedicated following — mostly online. Not only did he easily clear the donor threshold for the first two debates, his campaign says it is on the cusp of clinching the 130,000 donors it needs, along with future polling, to make it to the third debate in September.
But Yang barely made an impression on Thursday night. He spoke for only around 3 minutes — the shortest speaking time of any of the 20 candidates on both nights of the debate.
Most Assertive: Kirsten Gillibrand
The candidates were asked to give their closing statements in reverse order of their poll standing, and it was a reminder of Gillibrand’s failure to gain traction thus far that she spoke before Yang, and only after the unconventional Marianne Williamson and Swalwell.
It’s far too early to know whether her performance will lead to even a small bump in the polls, but Gillibrand was notably more assertive than most of the other low-polling candidates. She inserted herself into most of the issues, even if she wasn't called on. And she blew past moderators' attempts to call time on her, determined to finish her answers.
Wet Blanket: John Hickenlooper
Just as John Delaney saw his role on stage on Wednesday to bring the most liberal policy ideas down to earth, Hickenlooper, the former Colorado governor, took aim at Sanders and “socialism.”
“If we turn towards socialism,” Hickenlooper warned the audience, “we run the risk of helping to reelect the worst president in American history.”
But Hickenlooper had few other memorable moments. A question about his energy and climate policy referenced his work with oil companies — which are not exactly well-regarded by Democratic primary voters.
Ultimately, he made less of an impression than his fellow Coloradan, Sen. Michael Bennet.
Most Googled: Marianne Williamson
It’s not unusual for lesser-known candidates to send viewers headed for their search engines, especially if their debate style is, well, unconventional. And Williamson — an author of self-help books whose only other bid for office was a fourth-place finish in a 2014 California congressional primary — is certainly unconventional. She called her competitors' policy proposals "superficial" compared to President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan. She said her first major initiative as president would be to place a phone call to the prime minister of New Zealand.
Not surprisingly, Williamson was the most searched candidate during the debate, according to data published by Google.
Harris finished second on this measure, and Google Trends noted in the minutes after her confrontation with Biden that she was the “top trending topic” in the U.S.
Buttigieg, the mayor of the nation’s 305th-largest city, was third.
Worst Canned Line: Swalwell
This one came in Swalwell’s closing statement — the one part of the two-hour debate the candidates can rehearse beforehand.
Swalwell, a fourth-term congressman who has become a cable-TV fixture thanks to posts on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees, is also the father of young children.
His attempt to link those two responsibilities — Congress and fatherhood — landed flat, however.
“When I’m not changing diapers, I’m changing Washington,” he said, without eliciting much of a reaction from the audience.
