As of December 4th, there are 15 democratic candidates fighting over the nomination. The debate on November 20th placed 10 candidates on stage and created a clear distinction between the candidates who have a chance and those who will most likely drop out in the near future. One of the main talking points of the debate was Donald Trump and the impeachment hearing, being that the first questions given were related to President Trump. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders both jumped in with strong support for impeachment. Bernie Sanders went on to call Trump “ a pathological liar and the most corrupt president” but also said he wanted to move the attention to other issues. Senator Kamala Harris stated that President Trump is a “criminal living in the White House.”

Currently, the candidates with the most support are Biden, Buttigieg, Sanders, and Warren. During the debate, they took center stage. Buttigieg heavily emphasized his appeal to “small town” Americans, and how this will help him beat Trump in 2020. As the first openly gay candidate running for president, he has a large support from the LGBTQ community. Another winner of the debate was Amy Klobuchar, who many consider a moderate within the group. She emphasized her position as a woman running for president, which would be monumental in the White House. Both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders discussed their healthcare plans and heavy taxes on the wealthy. As usual, they agreed on many points and held each other up as opposed to competing with one another. 

The general consensus is that Joe Biden lost this debate, even though he is leading in polls. His stumbling over words, inaccurate information, and what young Americans view as “old-fashioned” beliefs did not increase his chances at the nomination. A poll by Monmouth University shows that only 6% of Democrats ages 18-49 support Biden. His stance on marijuana is unpopular with young Americans and he does not have much support with people of color. Tulsi Gabbard did not speak much, but when she did she was heavily attacked by Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg for her opinions on foreign policy. She was also attacked for her disapproval of many of President Obama’s initiatives, who is viewed as a hero and role model in the Democratic party. Gabbard has extremely moderate views when compared to the other candidates on stage.

The rest of the candidates are not as popular, but still had their moments during the debate. Tom Steyer is a billionaire who spent most of his stage time advocating for climate change reform. Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur, made clear that one of his priorities is to heavily push America’s technological advancement. One of his most popular policies is the universal basic income of 1,000 dollars for every American. Cory Booker, who seems to be losing support, discussed and advocated for the importance of black voters and his plan to attack the disproportionate incarceration of people of color. Booker also attacked Warren’s wealth tax stating that many countries have tried this and failed and instead, America should focus on creating equality of economic opportunity.

In recent weeks after the debate, Kamala Harris dropped out of the race due to lack of funds for her campaign. Micheal Bloomberg has formally entered as a candidate and is already making clear his policies, one of which is to end gun violence in America.

The November 2020 Democratic debate was heavily focused on President Donald Trump. This presidential election is right around the corner, will President Donald Trump stay in office for another term or will there be a new face in the White House?

To watch the full debate: https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/on-demand-watch-the-full-msnbc-washington-post-democratic-debate-73805381739

Or, for a more fun version: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8EQFhj8ca4