Ok I have to start by saying that I think tonight’s debate is a very clear sign that this process is being mismanaged. There are too many candidates (at least 2 tonight are totally unviable) and possibly more on the way?! The DNC needs to get its act together. Rant over, here we go!
1 - Mayor Pete Buttigieg
South Bend Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg has enjoyed huge fundraising throughout the race and has recently seen a robust ground game in Iowa and New Hampshire pay off big. He’s currently leading by a sizable margin in both and that put a target on him tonight. That said I was surprised at how long it took for his opponents to go after him. Senator Klobuchar waived at her first chance by walking back her criticism and Senator Harris pivoted her chance into a spectacular answer on equal opportunity. Klobuchar did ultimately take her shot and the Mayor came back strong. The only candidate to lay a glove on him was Tulsi Gabbard but she also gave him a chance to really scrap for the first time. I think he measured up and I think she may have done him more good than harm by giving a preview of how he could handle the President in a debate. He gave some great policy answers but still struggles to interject himself into the conversation on some of the bigger issues. After a slow start he ended up with the second highest speaking time tonight behind Senator Warren. Overall a great night for him and if anyone gets a bump from tonight it’ll be Pete. As always in the interest of full disclosure I’ll say that I’ve consulted for the Mayor and am endorsing him in the race, although I think this is the first time I’ve put him on top in these? I have to check.
2 - Senator Elizabeth Warren
Senator Warren is still enjoying a surge in some national polling and is one of the most formidable debaters the democrats have. She had another solid night tonight but still struggles with specifics and the “pie in the sky” line of attack. That said she’s an earnest and commanding speaker who makes herself heard at the right times and maximizes them. I’d rate her “as expected” tonight with the caveat that we expect her to be very very good.
3 - Senator Bernie Sanders
I need to start by saying that Bernie sanders is absolutely hilarious in these debates. No one has a better joke game than him and it was on full display tonight. Bernie needed a good night tonight as he has been slipping in the polls recently. I think he had one and is doing a great job articulating that he was first on many of the issues that have become standardized for many democratic candidates. I also thought he had strong moments tonight stepping into conflicts between other candidates (notable Mayor Pete and Rep Gabbard) and moving the conversation back to the point. He also had a solid moment at the end pumping his small donor base. Senator Sanders is the most prolific small donor raiser the party has ever had and that grassroots support is part of the core of his viability. Bravo Senator and please keep the jokes coming.
4 - Andrew Yang
I’ve frequently rated Andrew Yang top 3 after debates and my bumping him down is not a reflection of his answers. Yang has really found his lane and gives amazing answers whenever he gets a chance. The problem is those chances were few and far between tonight. Mr Yang did not make himself heard well tonight and ended up with the least speaking time by a substantial margin (he was 2 minutes behind Mr Steyer) and that’s an issue. Mr Yang is is arguably the most innovative candidate we’ve seen since Senator Sanders’ run in 2016 and he has policy positions that are appealing to a wide swath of voters but he needs to seize the spotlight more. Now some of the blame for this tonight lies with the moderators. The questions were largely directed at the frontrunners and since Mr Yang has run a largely positive campaign he didn’t get some of the “gotcha” conflict inciting questions that other outliers like Senator Klobuchar and Rep Gabbard did (#LetYangSpeak trended all night). I hope he makes the next debate and when he does I hope he’ll get more time.
5 - Senator Cory Booker
On the topic of not making oneself heard let’s talk about Senator Booker. Cory Booker is one of the most gifted speakers on that stage and when he did give answers they were expectedly powerful and eloquent. He got more talking time tonight than he has in previous debates but he’s not someone we expect to be timid and I think he could get away with interrupting more. He had a huge moment tonight going after Vice President Biden (so much so that he incited a pretty epic gaff) and in that moment I think we saw a flicker of the debater so many of us knew was in him. I considered rating him higher based completely on that moment since in my opinion it was the only successful punch-up of the night but ultimately I decided to rate on overall performance.
6 - Senator Kamala Harris
If anyone needed a big night tonight it was Kamala Harris. After the first debate she had a big surge and was being talked about as one of the most viable candidates in the race. Since then she’s seen her numbers tank, her fundraising slow to a crawl resulting in closing offices, and has had to base her whole strategy on a decent showing in Iowa. Tonight she came back strong. She had great answers but more than that I feel like she really found her flow tonight. For the first time she seemed at ease and completely in control, she was commanding, she was funny, and just generally seemed to be having a good time. She looked very much like the “happy warrior” pundits talk about so much and it’s a very good look for her. Let’s not count her out yet!
7 - Senator Amy Klobuchar
Senator Klobuchar is a candidate who knows what she wants to say but can’t figure out how to say it. She’s a midwestern senator who articulates a popular moderate message but her attempts to punch-up were stilted and predictable and she tends to try and pack too much into answers which makes her seem like she’s rambling. If she can hone her style I think she could be formidable but as is she’s struggling. She’s already qualified for the next debate so let’s see how she does.
8 - Vice President Joe Biden
I think we may need to stop calling Vice President Biden the frontrunner in this race. I predicted after the last debate that we would see Biden’s numbers start to slide between then and now and they certainly have. The Vice President had some big gaffs tonight and Senator Booker slapped him around huge on marijuana. The impeachment proceedings are not flattering to the Vice President and I worry about his campaign’s viability if they move to the Senate. Overall Vice President Biden looked very much like a person who has stayed in the spotlight past his prime tonight.
9 - Rep Tulsi Gabbard
Ok you know what I’m just going to say it. What the hell is Tulsi Gabbard still doing here? The congresswoman is simply not a viable candidate for president. She has little to no support in early primary states and her overall numbers are pathetic. She barely made this debate and since her only strong moment was going after Mayor Pete I don’t think we gained anything from her being there. In my opinion she should not and will not make the next one.
10 - Tom Steyer
Tom Steyer rose to limited fame through buying and starring in ads advocating impeaching the president years ago. He’s spent something like 3 million dollars of his own money to get on and stay on this stage and his biggest applause moment tonight came from Andrew Yang defending him. He needs to bow out.
That’s all for tonight! The next debate will be on December 19th. In the meantime you can find me at @iammikegio on Twitter and Instagram and I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!