The top 10 candidates met in a debate Thursday night, as the serious post-Labor Day part of the presidential primary campaign gets fully underway. As always, this post collects a top moment from each of those candidates. For some, that moment came in the debate. For others, it might have been a policy, speech, statement, tweet, or something else during the rest of the week.
Either way, the Democrats struggle for oxygen next to the media obsession with Donald Trump, and we as voters need to know how much strength is out there in this field. One of these people is overwhelmingly likely to be our nominee in a few months, and with no candidate over 30% in polls now, the majority of Democrats are likely to have to learn to love someone they didn’t go in supporting. Reminding ourselves of the good stuff is a good way to be ready for that.
So ...
Kamala Harris emphasized the importance not just of funding education and closing the teacher pay gap, but investing in HBCUs as a way of investing in black teachers as a way of investing in black students.
Amy Klobuchar put the focus on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his role in blocking progress.
Cory Booker did about as good a job of actually answering a hacky question on a personal setback and turning it into the elevator pitch for his candidacy and world view as he probably could have done.
Pete Buttigieg had a powerful moment:
Beto O'Rourke pulled no punches on guns during the debate, and he turned the resulting death threat into an important illustration of what he was saying to begin with.
Elizabeth Warren had a good debate, but other things did happen this week, and what was better was her Social Security plan, which would expand and increase Social Security benefits while strengthening the program’s solvency.
Joe Biden wrote an op-ed on the anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act—which he championed in its original form and which Mitch McConnell is again holding up in the Senate.
Julián Castro talked to Ezra Klein about “expanding the moral circle” and who we consider to be part of “we.”
Andrew Yang called California’s Assembly Bill 5 “a positive step.” I would not necessarily have predicted this.
Bernie Sanders took the Fossil Fuel Free Cabinet pledge.