- On Tuesday night, six of the top Democratic presidential candidates gathered in Des Moines, Iowa, for the last debate before the state’s caucuses on February 3.
- Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and the businessman Tom Steyer all qualified for the debate.
- With the caucuses just three weeks away, candidates made their final nationally televised pitches to Iowa caucusgoers and weighed in on the foreign-policy crisis in Iran.
- Here were the five most noteworthy exchanges and moments.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
On Tuesday night, six of the top Democratic presidential candidates gathered in Des Moines, Iowa, for the last debate before the state’s caucuses on February 3.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and the businessman Tom Steyer all qualified for the debate, making it the smallest debate field yet and the first without any candidates of color.
CNN and The Des Moines Register hosted the debate, which was held at Drake University and moderated by the CNN “Situation Room” anchor Wolf Blitzer, the CNN political correspondent Abby Phillip, and The Des Moines Register’s chief political correspondent, Brianne Pfannenstiel.
With the caucuses just three weeks away, candidates made their final nationally televised pitches to Iowa caucusgoers and weighed in on the foreign-policy crisis in Iran.
While the debate was relatively tame and conflict-free, here are the five most noteworthy exchanges and moments:
Foreign policy loomed large two weeks after the US escalated tensions with Iran. All the Democratic candidates advocated a stop to "endless wars" and said the US should reduce its military presence in the Middle East.
While most candidates were on the same page that the US should try to de-escalate tensions with Iran, Sanders and Biden sparred over their respective records on voting for wars.
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders spar over Biden's vote in 2002 to authorize the Iraq War.
Biden calls his vote a "big mistake." pic.twitter.com/fltHJmfP3A
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 15, 2020
Warren had the line of the night shutting down the notion that a woman couldn't be elected president, a position she said Sanders expressed to her in a December 2018 meeting.
"The only people on this stage who have won every single election that they've been in are the women: Amy and me," she said of Klobuchar.
Sanders has denied telling Warren he believed a woman couldn't be elected president.
"Can a woman beat Donald Trump? Look at the men on this stage. Collectively, they have lost 10 elections. The only people on this stage who have won every single election that they’ve been in are the women.” -Sen. Elizabeth Warren. https://t.co/hLxrH1JTHW #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/Z7xgJoFHVR
— CNN (@CNN) January 15, 2020
Offstage, Michael Bloomberg's social-media team stole the show by posting jocular, off-the-rails tweets that are uncharacteristic of Bloomberg's usually serious style.
Bloomberg, who is self-funding his campaign, was not on the debate stage Tuesday night but let his social media run loose.
WHICH @pitbull SONG SHOULD PRESIDENT BLOOMBERG ENTER A ROOM TO INSTEAD OF “HAIL TO THE CHIEF”?
— Team Bloomberg (@Mike2020) January 15, 2020
What’s your #DemDebate #DebateSnack? If you want to sample Mike’s spicy guacamole, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Mike 2020 headquarters and Mike will send you a scoop!
— Team Bloomberg (@Mike2020) January 15, 2020
Mike is a fervent opponent of the bad NRA (National Rifle Association), but a proud supporter of the other NRA (National Rigatoni Alliance). #BloombergFacts #DemDebate
— Team Bloomberg (@Mike2020) January 15, 2020
Mike not only reduced the number of uninsured by 40%, but also passed out free jars of Vicks VapoRub to people on the subway. #BloombergFacts #DemDebate
— Team Bloomberg (@Mike2020) January 15, 2020
Amy Klobuchar had a slightly awkward moment when, for several seconds, she forgot the name of Kansas' governor, Laura Kelly — but quickly got past it.
It sounds like @amyklobuchar just malfunctioned mid-sentence lol I’m in tears #DemocraticDebate pic.twitter.com/bzcluucLpu
— Privy (@DionPrivett) January 15, 2020
At the end of the debate, Buttigieg, who is polling in low single digits among black voters, said "the black voters who know me best are supporting me."
"The black voters who know me best are supporting me,” former Mayor Pete Buttigieg says about why he hasn’t gained support among black voters. “The biggest mistake we could make is to take black voters for granted and I never will.” https://t.co/EWvJ859tex #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/fmgKnZQQX6
— CNN (@CNN) January 15, 2020
