The fourth democratic debate showcased the top 12 contenders, making Tuesday night's debate the first time this many candidates were on one stage since the 2020 campaign began. The candidates battled over the course of three hours on CNN, discussing a wide variety of topics from health care to international affairs.
Here are five of the best moments from the fourth democratic debate.
1. Former Vice President Joe Biden defended his son's reputation.
Biden’s son, Hunter, has been at the center of much of the political discourse over the past month. President Trump recently pushed for multiple countries to open investigations into Hunter Biden’s business dealings during the Obama administration.
Early in the night, the former vice president came to his son's defense, making the argument that neither he nor his son did anything wrong during their time in the White House.
2. "Police violence is gun violence!" former HUD secretary Julian Castro said.
During an exchange centered around former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s gun buyback proposal, Castro came out against him, saying that giving police more reasons to go door to door could be very dangerous in many neighborhoods.
"Police violence is also gun violence," said Castro, referencing the tragic case of Atatiana Jefferson. "I am not going to give these police officers an excuse to go door to door in these communities.
3. Reproductive health was finally brought to the debate stage.
With so much discussion surrounding the candidates' health care policies during the four previous debates, it’s amazing that reproductive health had never been mentioned on the stage. That all changed on two separate occasions, when Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris finally kickstarted the conversation.
Booker stood strong in his stance that women should not be the only ones fighting for reproductive rights. And Harris agreed, adding that women of color across the nation are dying due to a lack of health care options in many underserved communities.
4. Sen. Bernie Sanders came for the rich, saying it's morally imperative to do so.
After a tough start to the month health-wise for Sanders, the senator showed that not much had changed in terms of his passion and motivation. Sanders returned to the debate stage to once again rally against the richest Americans. This time, however, Sanders called his crusade on wealth inequality a moral argument, saying it's an outrage that cannot continue in American society.
5. Sen. Elizabeth Warren thanked those who deserved it.
In the night’s shadiest exchange, Biden reminded Warren that while she led the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, it was he who fought for the votes that inevitably got the bill passed. After his smug clapback, which received a few claps from the audience, Warren replied by thanking President Obama for his leadership on the issue, which drew a smirk from Biden.
The next Democratic debate takes place Nov. 20, and the threshold to qualify has been raised once again. So far, only eight candidates—former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, and Cory Booker, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and businessman Tom Steyer—have met the requirements.
