Bernie Sanders Held the Line in Last Night’s South Carolina Debate
Bernie Sanders’s command of the agenda was on display again last night in South Carolina, as his challengers exhausted themselves trying to make their stale centrism seem compelling.
Democratic presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders participate the Democratic presidential primary debate at the Charleston Gaillard Center on February 25, 2020 in Charleston, South Carolina. Win McNamee / Getty
Equal parts debate and cable news fever dream, last night’s Democratic forum in South Carolina will probably be the last of its kind in 2020.
Despite the contest’s ranks having thinned since January, some seven candidates still featured in the chaotic affair held ahead of the critical vote in the state this Saturday. Though no one quite said it out loud, it was all but clear that the race’s structuring dynamic is now Bernie Sanders’s undisputed status as front-runner — a fact evidenced by the barrage of attacks he faced from all sides throughout the night, including several from the moderators.
In a partial pivot from recent posturing, Elizabeth Warren sought to portray herself as an equally progressive but less divisive figure who has a better grasp of details. Amy Klobuchar, as per usual, pitched herself as a hard-headed pragmatist with the courage to resist big and transformative ideas.
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.