That’s A Wrap
Well, we don’t know yet how this debate will affect the race, but one thing is clear: Our earlier prediction of Bloomberg dominating headlines tonight seems to be spot on. Take Politico’s front page currently: “Bloomberg takes a beating, Sanders defends socialism in fiery debate.” Or The New York Times: “Rivals Attack Bloomberg In Most Brutal Debate So Far.” (And keeping with tradition, we collected some of our own headlines from the live blog team that you can peruse below, in addition to the live blog in all its chronological glory.)
But of course, the real question after tonight’s debate is whether it will have been enough to move the dial in Nevada before the caucuses on Saturday — and whether Sanders will handily win the state, or if there might be a surprise upset or a close second- (or third-) place finish that affects the narrative moving forward. Setting Bloomberg aside for a moment, it did seem that Warren was poised for a comeback this evening, and Sanders’s defense of socialism and his own electability was particularly impassioned as well. Biden also seemed to have a strong performance in contrast to Bloomberg and may stand to gain now at Bloomberg’s expense. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens next.
In the meantime, here are our topline takeaways for the evening:
- Clare: You Wanted A Show, The Democratic Field Gave It To You
- Perry: Everybody Hates Mike
- Nate: BLOOMBERG BOMBS
- Amelia: Warren Is Ready For Her Comeback
- Kaleigh: The Most Fiery Debate Yet, With Bloomberg Serving As Tinder
- Meena: None Of These Candidates Came Here To Make Friends
- Nathaniel: Warren Leads The Charge As Candidates Pile On Bloomberg
- Geoffrey: The Bloom Is Off Bloomberg’s Rose
- Chad: All That Blooms Must Wilt
- Micah: Bloomberg Had A Really Bad Debate. Like … Seriously. /// Dek: What effect will it have? 🤷♀️
- And a special headline from former FiveThirtyEighter Meghan Ashford-Grooms: Why The Democratic Party Is Thinking, ‘Do We Have to Televise the Next One of These?’