Democratic debate: Four key takeaways from the second 2020 showdown

The gloves finally come off after a polite first night, and candidates seem to hold little back

The second night of presidential debates among 2020 Democratic hopefuls on Thursday was a contentious battle among a number of frontrunners — and others who successfully fought their way into the spotlight.

Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders were front-and-centre, with both having been on top of the the 20-plus leading Democrats vying for a shot at taking on Donald Trump in the general election.

Either side of the tw on stage were Pete Buttigieg, the Indiana mayor who rose quickly in the polls ahead of the debates but had a seemingly weaker showing than Kamala Harris, the California senator who drew swift praise for confronting Mr Biden “on the issue of race.”

The second round of debates proved to be more aggressive than the prior night, with higher-polling candidates attacking each other on policy proposals and others like Eric Swallwell, a California congressman, taking direct shots at his counterparts for their apparent shortcomings in office.

Here are four of the main takeaways from the debate:

The gloves have finally come off

Divisions over race, age and ideology surged into public view.

A campaign trail mostly featuring selfies among fellow candidates and general niceties turned into direct rebukes of each other’s records and careers.

One of the lesser-known candidates on stage, Mr Swalwell called on Mr Buttigieg to fire his police chief, following outrage in the Indiana's mayors city of South Bend over the shooting of a man by police.

Mr Swalwell also took a swipe at Mr Biden’s advanced age. Either Mr Biden or Mr Sanders would be the oldest president ever elected.

“Joe Biden was right when he said it was time to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans 32 years ago,” Mr Swalwell jabbed.

Mr Biden responded: “I’m still holding on to that torch.”

The ‘food fight’ moment felt across the country

Ms Harris expertly laid into her positioning on stage and halted a raucous moment between candidates in a way the night’s moderators were seemingly unable to do.

“America does not want to witness a food fight,” she said as the candidates went back and forth around her, sparring over policy. “They want to know how we’re going to put food on their table.”

The moment drew cheers from the crowd, which seemingly reacted positively to several zingers Ms Harris employed throughout the night.

Kamala Harris steals the show

Ms Harris put the 76-year-old Mr Biden, who entered the night as his party’s frontrunner, on the defensive as he worked to convince voters across America that he’s still in touch with the Democratic Party of 2020 — and best-positioned to deny Mr Trump a second term.

“I do not believe you are a racist,” Ms Harris said to Mr Biden, though she described his record of working with Republican segregationist senators as “hurtful.”

Mr Biden called Harris’ criticism “a complete mischaracterisation of my record.”

“I ran because of civil rights,” he said and later accused the Trump administration of embracing racism.

From discussing her childhood as a young black woman in America being bussed to school during integration, to laying out policy proposals that fly in the fact of the current administration, Ms Harris established herself as a clear force to be reckoned with in the 2020 election.

Joe Biden survives another week — but will his frontrunner status?

The former vice president sought to sidestep the party's divisions altogether, training his venom on Mr Trump.

“Donald Trump thinks Wall Street built America. Ordinary middle-class Americans built America,” he said, adding: “Donald Trump has put us in a horrible situation. We do have enormous income inequality.”

Mr Biden’s strategy is designed to highlight his status as the front-runner, and as such, the Democrat best positioned to take down the president at the ballot box.

Above any policy disagreement, Democratic voters report that nothing matters more than finding a candidate who can beat Mr Trump.

Their first round of debates is finished, but the real struggle is just beginning for most of the candidates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report