Democratic debate: From Bernie Sanders' comebacks to a surprising Marianne Williamson, 6 key moments

Debate highlights clear divide in the Democrat Party

The second set of Democratic debates for the 2020 US election took place in Detroit, with ten candidates taking to the stage.

Although some of the biggest stars of the race are on Wednesday’s bill – in particular Joe Biden and Kamala Harris – America was keen to see how the first batch of contenders would fare. Would progressives Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren rally together, or tear strips off each other? Would Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar get heard above the crowd? Would anyone know who John Hickenlooper was?

Here are six of the key moments from the latest Democratic debate:

Progressives and their policies dominated

The debate highlighted the clear divide in the Democratic Party, with one side pushing progressive policies, and the other insisting a central ground is the way to take on Donald Trump. Moderate candidates, such as John Delaney and Steve Bullock, took several swipes on a variety of subjects, from tariffs, healthcare and higher education, butting heads with liberal candidates like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

The biggest responses from the Detroit crowd were for progressive policies. From Warren’s wealth tax plan to Sanders’ repeated attacks on major corporations, the policies of the left dominated Tuesday night’s debate.

Bernie Sanders and his comebacks

Bernie Sanders had the most air-time out of all the candidates, using every possible opportunity to make his political stance clear. His fast responses to criticisms from fellow candidates resonated across social media. In particular, when Tim Ryan said he didn’t know that he could guarantee dental care, hearing aids and glasses for the elderly, Sanders angrily came back with: “I do know, I wrote the damn bill!”

The Vermont senator also took one of the firmest stances against Donald Trump, branding the president “a pathological liar”.

Elizabeth Warren was strong, but was she strong enough?

Elizabeth Warren was the other big ticket name on the bill, especially after her well-received performance in the first round of debates. Also putting forward progressive ideologies, Warren had the second most airtime and had some excellent retorts up her sleeve.

But as we saw from her in the first debate, she remained fairly quiet during the middle of the debate, allowing other candidates to shine.

Marianne Williamson fared surprisingly well

Although usually a candidate mocked on SNL or in meme-culture, author Marriane Williamson was a surprise hit of the night, with her passionate speeches getting numerous rounds of applause. From her breakdown of the Flint water crisis, to powerful sound bites such as “I look at some of you and I almost wonder why you’re Democrats”, the lesser-known candidate impressed many tonight. However the likelihood of her gaining much momentum from this one performance is low.

Where did Beto O’Rourke go?

It’s inevitable that in such a crowded field candidates will fall through the cracks, and former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke did just that. Aside from a few brief moments in the sun, such as a round of applause for his comments on slavery reparations, O’Rourke gave a subdued performance. He may still be leading in the Texas polls, but this performance will be unlikely to help him in the 2020 race.

John Delaney attempted to cling on

Former Maryland congressman John Delaney got more attention than many may have expected, especially since earlier this month his senior staff reportedly urged him to drop out of the race. He came to several blows with the more progressive candidates, most notably clashing with Elizabeth Warren.

Centrist Delaney said: “Democrats win when we run on real solutions, not impossible promises ... when we run on things that are workable, not fairy tale economics.”

Warren broadly received a positive response from both the crowd and Twitter for her comeback: “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.”

What’s next?

The remaining candidates will face each other on Wednesday 31st July at 8pm EST (1am BST). The line-up is as follows: Cory Booker, Julián Castro, Kirsten Gillibrand, Michael Bennet, Andrew Yang, Bill de Blasio, Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Inslee, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.