Mayor Pete Buttigieg used his first debate moments to posit that he is a candidate who would be able to appeal more broadly to the public than Sen. Bernie Sanders. Buttigieg argued that Sanders is too politically orthodox, saying Sanders’ position is too extreme to be able to get things done and draw the political power needed to defeat Donald Trump. Buttigieg was vague enough that his attack could be taken as two-pronged: 1) attacking Sanders’ electability against Trump, and 2) the viability of Sanders’ policy promises. Sanders was given a chance to respond and he hit hard with his long-standing universal healthcare policy, laying bare the fact that Buttigieg’s campaign is not as strong when it comes to specific policy promises.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: The way you bring people together is by presenting an agenda that works for the working people of this country, not for the billionaire class. The way you bring people together—republicans, independents, democrats, progressives, conservatives—you raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks a hour. the way you bring people together is to make it clear that we're not going give tax breaks to billionaires and large corporations. They're going the start paying their fair share of taxes. That's what the American people want. and I'll tell you something else -- the way you bring people together is by ending the international disgrace of this country being the only major nation on earth not to guarantee health care for to all people as a human right. and you bring people together by telling the pharmaceutical industry they're not going to charge us ten times more for the same prescription drugs as the people in Canada that borders on New Hampshire. that's how you bring people together and beat defeat Donald Trump.
The applause Sanders received led to a discussion of all of the candidates’ positions on health care, with Sanders reiterating that the only solution is a universal healthcare plan.