Warren and Sanders defend progressive turf on first night of Detroit debate
The spirited first night of the second Democratic primary debates featured no shortage of confrontation, with more moderate candidates taking aim at the leading progressives on stage over the feasibility of their proposals with varying degrees of success.
Ten candidates sparred over everything from climate change to health care to reparations for slavery, with many of the lower-polling candidates using the opportunity to take shots at the frontrunners.
Whether those attacks were effective, however, was another story. The audience at Detroit's Fox Theatre roared with applause for Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, two of the top contenders for the nomination. Meanwhile, bottom-tier candidates like John Delaney, Tim Ryan and John Hickenlooper struggled to land punches and connect with the audience, often choosing to attack Sanders and Warren rather than train their fire on the current administration.
Warren and Sanders emerged largely unscathed, having vigorously defended their proposals while upbraiding their opponents for failing to embrace bold policy positions.
"You know, I don't understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can't do and shouldn't fight for," Warren said, in one of the defining moments of the evening.
The highlights from Tuesday night's debate appear below, as it happened. Ten other candidates -- including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris -- will take the stage in Detroit for the second round on Wednesday.
Warren and Sanders got the most speaking time and questions
10:57 p.m.: Warren and Sanders spoke the most and fielded the most questions from moderators over the course of the night, followed by Buttigieg and Klobuchar. Williamson got the least amount of time, followed by Hickenlooper.
Here is each candidate's speaking time, including crosstalk and interruptions but not counting opening or closing statements:
- Warren: 15 minutes, 36 seconds; called on 20 times
- Sanders: 14 minutes, 56 seconds; called on 19 times
- Buttigieg: 11 minutes, 57 seconds; called on 14 times
- Klobuchar: 8 minutes, 41 seconds; called on 13 times
- Bullock: 8 minutes, 41 seconds; called on 13 times
- O'Rourke: 8 minutes, 25 seconds; called on 12 times
- Delaney: 8 minutes, 9 seconds; called on 9 times
- Ryan: 7 minutes, 24 seconds; called on 9 times
- Hickenlooper: 6 minutes, 30 seconds; called on 9 times
- Williamson: 5 minutes, 49 seconds; called on 7 times
-- Aaron Navarro
Candidates make closing arguments: "What a night. I've loved it"
10:30 p.m.: Williamson insisted Washington needs more than "wonkiness" -- it needs "radical truth telling" and a serious conversation about race.
"You can't fight dog whistles, you have to override them," Williamson said.
Delaney urged bipartisanship and working together, saying Mr. Trump is a "symptom of the disease" of divisiveness.
Ryan said he hopes he's captured voters' "imagination." No superstar, Ryan said, will fix the country.
Hickenlooper started out his closing statement with, "What a night. I've loved it."
Klobuchar in her closing statement shared the story of a young person who died because of opioid addiction, insisting she will fight for middle America and all Americans.
O'Rourke said the country needs to include "everyone," something he's worked on his whole life.
Buttigieg made climate change part of his closing statement, saying time is running out to fix problems for the next generation.
Warren touted her grassroots strength, and insisted that she would make "real" change in 2021.
Sanders said he's running not just to defeat the country's most "dangerous" president in history, but to fight for working-class Americans. "We need a mass political movement. Please go to BernieSanders.com," Sanders said.
Buttigieg and Sanders address their age difference
10:24 p.m.: Buttigieg, who at 37 is the youngest Democratic candidate, was asked about the role of age in a presidential campaign. He was standing on stage next to Sanders, the oldest candidate at 78 years old.
Buttigieg demurred, saying: "I don't care how old you are, I care about your vision."
"We can have great presidents at any age," Buttigieg said.
Sanders also sidestepped the question of age.
"Pete is right. It's a question of vision," Sanders said.
-- Grace Segers
Sanders on difference with Trump: "Trump is a pathological liar. I tell the truth"
10:15 p.m.: Nearly two hours into the debate, the first foreign policy question of the night went to Sanders. Sanders has suggested that he doesn't want the U.S. to be the policeman of the world -- but so has Mr. Trump. Asked what the difference would be, Sanders had a simple response: "Trump is a pathological liar. I tell the truth."
Buttigieg, who served in Afghanistan, committed to withdrawing U.S. military servicemembers from Afghanistan in his first year.
O'Rourke said he would remove U.S. military personnel in his first term in office. But he also said he would not start new wars, and find ways to resolve matters peacefully instead.
Hickenlooper has expressed openness to keeping some servicemembers in Afghanistan, and suggested Tuesday night that the situation there is complicated.
-- Kathryn Watson
Williamson to opponents: "I almost wonder why you're Democrats"
10:10 p.m.: As candidates argued over whether college should be free for all Americans, including those from wealthy families, Williamson argued that providing free tuition would stimulate the economy.
"I think that all domestic and international policies should be based on the idea that anything we do to help people thrive is a stimulation to our economy," Williamson said, explaining why she believed even wealthy Americans should be able to receive free tuition.
Williamson criticized some of the other candidates on stage for being opposed to policies which would expand the power of the federal government.
"I look at some of you and I almost wonder why you're Democrats," Williamson said. "You almost think something is wrong with using the instruments of government to help people."
-- Grace Segers
Moderator points out Delaney is rich and would pay more in taxes under Warren plan
10:02 p.m.: One of the moderators pointed out that Delaney is worth roughly $65 million, making him one of the wealthiest Democrats running for president and subjecting him to Warren's proposed wealth tax.
Delaney agreed that the wealthiest Americans need to pay more. Warren's plan would tax a family's wealth above $50 million at 2% a year.
"I think wealthy Americans have to pay more," Delaney said.
-- Kathryn Watson
Delaney and Warren debate trade
9:55 p.m.: Getting wonky on trade, Delaney and Warred debated the merits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), an Obama-era trade deal with several Asian countries that was scrapped by President Trump.
Delaney hit Warren for opposing TPP, saying: "President Obama was right about that."
Warren insisted she wanted to negotiate trade deals with unions, labor advocates and human rights activists at the table.
"We're going to negotiate our deals with unions at the table," Warren said. She hit recent trade deals like TPP and the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement for being too focused on helping corporations.
"They have become a way for giant multinationals to change the regulatory policies ... to leave the American people behind," Warren said.
-- Grace Segers
Candidates address racism and reparations
9:45 p.m.: The candidates were asked why they would be the best person to heal the racial divide in America, after weeks of the president attacking progressive women of color and Rep. Elijah Cummings.
All candidates on stage Tuesday night are white.
O'Rourke insisted that Texas is safe because it is a place of immigrants and refugees. As president, O'Rourke said he would sign a reparations bill and a new voting rights bill into law.
Warren was asked about mass shootings perpetrated by white men.
"We need to call out white supremacy for what it is: domestic terrorism. And it poses a threat to the United States," the Massachusetts senator said.
Buttigieg, whose city of South Bend has experienced intense racial divisions in the wake of police shootings, was pressed on racial divisions. Systemic racism has touched every area of life, from care at a hospital to job offers to home ownership, Buttigieg said.
Williamson, asked about reparations, insisted they shouldn't be viewed as cash payments, but as a repayment debt owed. Williamson suggested an amount between $100 billion and $500 billion is politically feasible.
Sanders said he, too, supports reparations, and increasing funding for schools with low-income students.
-- Kathryn Watson
Ryan to Sanders: "You don't have to yell"
9:30 p.m.: Candidates argued over the Green New Deal, a wide-ranging plan to address climate change that has been criticized by many Republicans and moderate Democrats for being too progressive.
Ryan, who hails from an industrial center in Ohio, talked about the need to create a "chief manufacturing officer" to help make the industrial and agricultural industries more sustainable.
Sanders responded: "I get a little bit tired of Democrats afraid of big ideas," suggesting Ryan's ideas were too incremental.
"I didn't say we wouldn't get there until 2040, Bernie. You don't have to yell," Ryan responded, bemused.
-- Grace Segers
Crowd erupts for Warren's response to Delaney
9:18 p.m.: After Delaney criticized progressives like Warren for espousing policies that in his view are too far to the left instead of focusing on more moderate kitchen-table issues, Warren hit back.
"You know, I don't understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can't do and shouldn't fight for," Warren said, eliciting one of the loudest responses of the night from the crowd in the Fox Theater.
Warren said she understands that many Americans are scared, "but we can't choose a candidate we don't believe in just because we're too scared to do anything else."
-- Kathryn Watson
Sanders and Warren lead in speaking time in first hour
9:16 p.m.: In the first hour of the debate, Sanders and Warren got the most speaking time, followed by Buttigieg and, notably, Bullock.
These times include crosstalk and interruptions, but don't count opening statements:
- Sanders: 6 minutes, 19 seconds
- Warren: 5 minutes, 25 seconds
- Buttigieg: 5 minutes, 5 seconds
- Bullock: 4 minutes, 15 seconds
- Klobuchar: 3 minutes, 19 seconds
- Delaney: 2 minutes, 44 seconds
- O'Rourke: 2 minutes, 39 seconds
- Williamson: 2 minutes, 7 seconds
- Ryan: 2 minutes, 1 second
- Hickenlooper: 1 minute, 33 seconds
-- Aaron Navarro
Sanders throws his hands up
9:14 p.m.: Hickenlooper challenged of Sanders' Medicare for All proposal, saying it was unrealistic to implement such a far-reaching policy -- and could deter more moderate voters.
"Every credible poll has me beating Donald Trump," Sanders said.
Hickenlooper rejoined that Medicare for All would kick too many people off their private health insurance, leading Sanders to throw his hands up in exasperation.
"Go ahead, throw your hands up," Hickenlooper responded.
"They're up!" Sanders said.
-- Grace Segers
Candidates pressed for solutions to gun violence
9:09 p.m.: In the wake of yet another deadly mass shooting, this time in Gilroy, California, the candidates on stage were pressed on what they can do about gun violence.
Buttigeg, the first candidate asked what he would do beyond offering thoughts and prayers, said he recently met a 13-year-old who asked him what he would do to keep schools safe. Buttigeg said he began "shaking."
"We're supposed to be dealing with this so you don't have to," the Indiana mayor said he responded.
Klobuchar said the problem "is about the NRA." The Minnesota senator said that, "as your president, I will not fold" on things like universal background checks.
Jumping into the debate, Buttigeg said there cannot be yet another generation surviving mass shootings.
Bullock, the Montana governor, said gun violence won't be sufficiently addressed until "dark money" is kicked out of politics.
O'Rourke spoke along similar lines, saying that as president he would ban political action committee contributions to candidates.
Sanders touted his "D-Minus" record from the NRA, saying he imagines he'd receive an "F" rating as president. Sanders said he also wants to do everything to expand background checks and make stricter rules for gun manufacturers.
Williamson was more dramatic, saying the NRA has the country in a "chokehold," and nothing will change until campaigns are federally funded.
-- Kathryn Watson
Candidates debate decriminalizing border crossings
8:55 p.m.: Candidates argued over whether to decriminalize crossing the border illegally. Buttigieg said, under his immigration plan, "illegally crossing the border will still be illegal," but it would mostly be a civil violation.
"If fraud is involved, then that's suitable for a criminal statute," Buttigieg acknowledged.
Warren also argued for decriminalizing illegal border crossings.
"The criminalization statute is what gives Donald Trump the ability to take children away from their parents," Warren said.
However, all candidates still insisted border security was necessary. Sanders said strong border security would prevent an influx of undocumented immigrants crossing the border, despite his support for offering free health care to immigrants.
Candidates also agreed on the root of the current immigration problem: the president's hardline immigration policies.
"The biggest problem we have right now with immigration is Donald Trump," Bullock said. He said other candidates were "playing into Donald Trump's hands" by proposing decriminalizing crossings.
-- Grace Segers
Sanders defends Medicare for All: "I wrote the damn bill"
8:42 p.m.: In an exchange with Ryan, who is advocating for a health care approach that's less drastic than Medicare for All, Sanders insisted his plan would cover things like hearing aids and eyeglasses through insurance that's as good as what unions have long fought for.
"But you don't know that. You don't know that, Bernie," Ryan said while Sanders spoke.
"I do know, I wrote the damn bill," Sanders rejoined, to wild cheers from the audience.
-- Kathryn Watson
Health care dominates first segment of the debate
8:36 p.m.: The candidates continued to spar over health care, often directly challenging each other.
O'Rourke criticized some on stage for creating a "false choice" between having Medicare for All or no public option, saying his plan would ensure that everyone would either be in Medicare or keep their insurance.
Klobuchar, when asked whether Warren was correct to say in the first debate that those who are opposed to Medicare for All "lack the political will to fight for it," said she disagreed.
"That is incorrect. I just have a better way to do this," Klobuchar said.
Sanders pushed back against the question posed to Klobuchar by moderator Jake Tapper: "Your question, to me, is a Republican talking point." He also noted that insurance companies would be advertising throughout the debate.
However, Williamson said concern over the feasibility of Medicare for All was "not just a Republican talking point," adding "I have a concern that it will be difficult."
Buttigieg simply added: "It's time to stop worrying about what the Republicans say."
-- Grace Segers
Sanders to Delaney on Medicare for All: "You're wrong!"
8:26 p.m.: The first question of the night went to Sanders, who was asked to address Delaney's criticism in his opening statement that the U.S. shouldn't go down the path of Medicare for All.
The Vermont senator had a simple answer at first: "You're wrong!" Sanders said, prompting some cheers from the audience. Sanders went on to defend his intentions with Medicare for All.
Given a chance to respond, Delaney defended his stance against taking away private insurance.
"Well, I'm right about this," Delaney said.
Warren, pressed twice whether she would raise taxes on the middle class to pay for Medicare for All, reiterated that overall costs wouldn't go up under her plan.
-- Kathryn Watson
Candidates take shots at Sanders and Warren in opening statements
8:17 p.m.: In an effort to differentiate themselves early, some lower-polling candidates took aim at the most well-known candidates in their opening statements.
Delaney mentioned Sanders and Warren by name, saying that they were too far left to succeed in a general election, citing failed Democratic candidates George McGovern, Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis.
Hickenlooper noted that 40 Democrats flipped House seats from red to blue in the 2018 elections -- and not one of those Democrats shared the positions of Warren and Sanders. Hickenlooper argued Warren and Sanders were out of touch with Democrats whose votes might be attainable in an otherwise red state.
Bullock touted his record of winning elections in a red state, and undercut Sanders' message of encouraging a political revolution.
"That farmer getting hit right now by Trump's trade war, that teacher working a second job just to afford her insulin, they can't wait for a revolution -- their challenges are in the here and now," Bullock said.
However, Sanders and Warren focused on the big picture in their opening statements. Warren specifically targeted President Trump, saying that he represented a "corrupt, rigged system." Sanders hit on his signature issues of economic inequality and insufficient health coverage.
Warren did make a small jab at some of her opponents questioning whether she was too progressive to win.
"We're not going to solve the urgent problems that we face with small ideas and spinelessness," she said.
-- Grace Segers
Candidates take the stage as debate gets underway
8:04 p.m.: The 10 candidates in tonight's round are taking their places on stage. Each will deliver an opening statement before taking questions from moderators Jake Tapper, Dana Bash and Don Lemon.
Here's who's participating in tonight's debate, from left to right on stage:
- Marianne Williamson
- Tim Ryan
- Amy Klobuchar
- Pete Buttigieg
- Bernie Sanders
- Elizabeth Warren
- Beto O'Rourke
- John Hickenlooper
- John Delaney
- Steve Bullock
-- Stefan Becket
O'Rourke to try to bounce back in debate performance
6:33 p.m.: Beto O'Rourke's campaign is hoping to bounce back from what was widely perceived as a lackluster debate performance in Miami.
Since the last debate, O'Rourke has seen a slip in polls and fundraising. Once a darling of the Democratic Party in his race to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, O'Rourke has struggled to gain traction in the Democratic primary.
A campaign official tells CBS News that O'Rourke is hoping to "connect with voters like he does on the ground," and says that during the last round of debates he did not come across as himself.
Aides say O'Rourke's goal heading into Detroit is to convey a clear sense of who he is to voters.
-- Tim Perry
Rules for the debate
According to CNN, candidates will have 60 seconds to answer questions from the moderators and 30 seconds for rebuttals and responses. Candidates at the debate will deliver opening statements and closing remarks.
Second Democratic debate schedule
- Dates: Tuesday, July 30 and Wednesday, July 31
- Time: 8 to about 10:30 p.m. ET on CNN
- Moderators: Don Lemon, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash
- Location: Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan
How to watch the second 2020 Democratic debate
- TV broadcast: CNN
- Free online stream: CNN.com, CNN apps, or on fuboTV -- start a free trial
- Additional coverage: Watch CBSN for live coverage of the debates before, during and after
-- Grace Segers
Grijalva, who backed Sanders in 2016, endorses Warren
4:18 p.m.: Elizabeth Warren unveiled a number of endorsements on Tuesday, including from Rep. Raúl Grijalva, the former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Grijalva endorsed Bernie Sanders in 2016.
"I've worked closely with Elizabeth and have seen up close her passion for working people and those who've been left behind," Grijalva said in a statement. "She is a bold, persistent, visionary leader who cares about working families -- and because of this, she's won my endorsement."
Warren and Sanders, who have long been friendly, may be forced to come to blows during the debate on Tuesday night in an effort to differentiate their messages.
"Bernie and I have been friends for a long, long time," Warren told Politico this week. She added that she "can't imagine why it wouldn't" continue to be a civil relationship on the debate stage.
Warren was also endorsed Tuesday by Rep. Deb Haaland, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress.
-- Grace Segers
Whitmer: "People in Michigan don’t care about the president's Twitter feed"
3:28 p.m.: In an interview with CBS News' Caitlin Huey-Burns, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said that candidates onstage should try to focus on "dinner table issues" instead of reacting to the president.
"People have been calling me to see advice about what's happening in Michigan and what Michiganders want to hear. It really is about the dinner table issues," Whitmer said. "These are the fundamentals that Michiganders want to hear and I suspect that's what lots of Americans are interested in, in this debate and this week and also as this election matures."
After President Trump narrowly won Michigan by 11,000 votes in 2016, Whitmer won the governorship in 2018. She said "reaching out to everyone" was necessary to win a swing state like Michigan.
"As a candidate, I went into all 83 counties in Michigan, and this is a huge state. But I did it because I think it's critical to show up. When you show up and you actually listen, you can't stray from the things that actually matter because you're listening and you're learning every day. Stay focused on the things that really matter," Whitmer said.
"People in Michigan don't care about the president's Twitter feed. We care about feeding our families," Whitmer continued.
-- Emily Tillett
Sanders' campaign manager talks debate strategy
2:59 p.m.: Faiz Shakir, Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign manager, says his candidate is focused on portraying a "record of consistency" on the issues at Tuesday night's debate.
Shakir, speaking to CBS News' Caitlin Huey-Burns, says Sanders has been fighting for key issues like health care longer than any other candidate and has been a "model of steadiness."
"If you want a candidate you can trust to do what they say they can do, it's Bernie Sanders and we need to lean in on that," said Shakir.
Asked if Sanders intended on sparring with his colleague in the Senate Elizabeth Warren to make for a blockbuster appearance on the debate stage, Shakir said that would be "unlikely."
"They've been friends for a long time ... They see these issues similarly," Shakir said of the Warren-Sanders relationship. "They've been allies on the most important issues." He said once the packed Democratic field narrows down, Sanders will go head-to-head on the issues.
-- Emily Tillett
Candidates will likely be asked about Trump's racist attacks
2:00 p.m.: The ten candidates on stage will likely be asked about President Trump's recent racist comments targeting lawmakers of color.
Earlier this month, the president received strong criticism from Democrats and a handful of Republicans for suggesting Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan should "go back" to the "totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."
This week, Mr. Trump again singled out a lawmaker of color, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, prompting critics to accuse him of sowing racial animus to galvanize segments of his electoral base ahead of the 2020 election. The president denounced Cummings as a "brutal bully" and called his predominately African American district a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess."
Although nearly all Democrats have criticized Mr. Trump remarks, it will be noteworthy to see if any of the presidential hopefuls on stage will advocate for Democrats to concentrate on condemning the president's policies rather than his controversial rhetoric -- which some see as a distraction.
All of the candidates who will be on stage on Tuesday evening are white.
-- Camilo Montoya-Galvez
Delaney blasts Medicare for All plans as "bad politics"
2:13 p.m.: Ahead of Tuesday's debate, former Maryland Rep. John Delaney slammed health care plans rolled out by some of his opponents including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, saying a Medicare for All agenda is a "terrible plan."
"Senator Sanders has a plan, Senator Warren has basically outsourced her health care plan to him as have many of the other candidates and it's a terrible plan. It's bad policy and will lose to Donald Trump if we run on it. So yes, I plan on making that point that medicare for all is bad policy and it's bad politics," Delaney told CBS News' Caitlin Huey-Burns of his debate plans for Tuesday night.
Delaney said a Medicare for All agenda speaks to what a majority of the Democratic contenders' campaigns consist of: "Impossible promises or slogans posing as policy."
-- Emily Tillett