CHARLESTON, S.C. _ The 10th Democratic presidential primary debate in South Carolina was a predictable sequel to last week's fiery fracas in Las Vegas. It was gloves off, bitter and, at times, personal.
But like most spin-offs, the novelty of a seven-way food fight lost its luster and appeared to wear on all of the candidates, who as a whole, looked more sullen and defensive than sunny and optimistic as they often spoke over one another and the moderators.
The testy atmosphere was understandable. With just days before the South Carolina primary and ensuing slew of Super Tuesday contests, the writing is on the wall for many campaigns. More than a third of delegates will be determined in the next week, and time is running out for a durable and singular alternative to Bernie Sanders to emerge.
Here are five takeaways from the debate:
BERNIE BURNED
Sanders finally had the kitchen sink thrown at him Tuesday.
Will any of it leave lasting damage?
Sanders faced criticism over his past positions on gun control (from Joe Biden), his ability to help down-ticket Democrats win (from Pete Buttigieg), the cost of his single-payer health care proposal (from Amy Klobuchar), his opposition to ending the legislative filibuster (from Elizabeth Warren), the support his campaign has reportedly received from Russia (from Michael Bloomberg), and the extreme reach of his policy agenda (from Tom Steyer). The overall effect was that of a field of Democratic candidates probing to see where Sanders might be vulnerable but not sure which one area to focus on.
"I'm hearing my name mentioned a bit tonight," Sanders said, drawing laughs. "I wonder why?"
The relentless criticism against Sanders was a first for a debate in the 2020 primary, despite the Vermont senator's place as the race's front-runner. And it clearly reflected a recognition that if Sanders' momentum isn't slowed immediately, he could earn a huge delegate advantage in next week's Super Tuesday contests, particularly in the big states of California and Texas.
Whether the attacks work is another question. Sanders' past opposition to gun control legislation has been hashed over since 2016, few regular voters know much about the filibuster, and Sanders points out that many polls show him running well against President Donald Trump.
Most of the candidates have avoided criticizing Sanders in previous debates for a reason _ his loyal base of supporters are unlikely to defect under any circumstances. The difference was that by Tuesday, the candidates didn't have a choice.
WARREN KEEPS UP THE HEAT
Warren attempted to pick up where she left off in Las Vegas last week, attacking Bloomberg repeatedly while also turning up the pressure on Sanders, as she attempts to win back progressive voters who have steadily drifted away from her and toward the democratic socialist.
Over the past year, Warren has leveled only mild criticisms against her fellow liberal senator. But on Tuesday night, Warren made her most direct contrast with Sanders to date, trying to peel of parts of Sanders' committed progressive base by making the case that she would be better able to implement their policy priorities.
"Bernie is winning because progressive policies are popular," Warren said. But she added, "Progressives have one shot, and we need to spend it on a leader who will get something done."
Warren also turned her fire back on Bloomberg, the multibillionaire who has become a go-to foil for the Massachusetts senator. She repeatedly ripped into Bloomberg's record as New York City mayor, his past spending in support of Republicans and derogatory comments he allegedly made toward women.
"The core of the Democratic Party will never trust him," Warren said, adding that that meant "he is the riskiest candidate standing on this stage."
Whether the two-pronged attack will be successful remains to be seen, as she has been squeezed between the more progressive and center-left wings of the party. Her previous forceful debate performance led to a fundraising windfall, but paid limited dividends in the Nevada caucuses, as she finished in fourth place with no delegates. South Carolina has never been a favorable state for her, due to her lack of support with black voters.
That means Super Tuesday _ when Warren's home state of Massachusetts is one of 14 states voting _ could be the last stand for a candidate that was once considered a front-runner in the field.
THE BLOOMBERG GAP
Bloomberg's second debate was a mild improvement on his first, but the bar was exceedingly low _ and it wasn't anywhere near enough.
The former New York City mayor remained stone-faced, mostly slow to gather his thoughts and no match for Warren's peppy onslaught. His penchant for eye rolls probably won't help his favorability either.
After a pair of high-stakes debates, it's clear that Bloomberg the candidate suffers from a painful performance gap with Bloomberg the campaign.
The candidate has hired an army of savvy and nimble operatives, who are masters of quippy social media accounts and message-making through slick TV ads, some of which aired during the debate. The problem is, Bloomberg the candidate isn't measuring up.
Bloomberg's team regularly produces amusing and entertaining responses to attacks online, but on stage Thursday night, Bloomberg's attempt at a self-deprecating joke about his last lousy debate fell flat.
Half a billion dollars can buy lots of talent, but it can't engineer a candidate, still the most important asset of any campaign.
THE BIDEN-STEYER BATTLE FOR BLACK VOTERS
Biden and Steyer have been competing intensely for the black vote in South Carolina, which accounts for 60% of the primary electorate, and they took their battle to a national stage Tuesday night. Polls show that Steyer, who has spent large amounts of time and money campaigning in the state, has started to eat away at Biden's support among African Americans, jeopardizing his ability to win the state.
Biden didn't wait long to attack Steyer for his hedge fund's past investment in a private prison company, adding, "And then he said he was proud of his accomplishment." Biden slammed Steyer on the same issue while speaking at a black church in North Charleston on Sunday.
The claim drew a strong reaction from the California billionaire, who pointed out that he sold his shares in the company after an investigation. "Since then, I've worked to end the use of private prisons in my home state," Steyer said. "Where we come from, that's called 'Tommy come lately,'" Biden retorted.
Steyer called Biden's remarks "absolutely unfair," before pivoting to his work promoting minority lending. "I've started a bank to support black ownership of businesses, women ownership of businesses and Latino entrepreneurs." He reiterated that same point later in the debate, while also touting his support for reparations for slavery.
Steyer also leveled his own attack on Biden's record as senator. "You wrote the crime bill that put hundreds of thousands of black and Latino young men in prison," Steyer said, referring to 1994 legislation Biden helped pass that created rigid sentencing guidelines.
BIDEN ON THE BACKBURNER
Biden is the favorite in the South Carolina primary. But he wasn't treated like one on Tuesday night.
Sanders, the national front-runner, and Bloomberg, who is making his first appearance on the ballot next week, received the bulk of the attention from their rivals. Aside from a few swipes he took at Sanders, Biden was not involved in the debate's most notable moments and ended up speaking the third-least of any candidate on stage.
Biden had trouble getting a word in over the bickering of his rivals, at one point protesting, "Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. I guess the only way you do this is jump in and speak twice as long as you should."
When Steyer began to talk over him, Biden finally shouted, "You spoke over time, and I'm going to talk!"
Unlike Klobuchar or Warren in the last two debates, he did not have a breakout moment that could give him a boost he could ride into the next round of elections.
On one hand, that means Biden did not face much criticism ahead of a make-or-break contest. On the other hand, it means the former vice president was unable to assert himself.
And more than anything, it was a reflection of the former vice president's diminished standing in the race. A little over a month ago, Biden was the overall front-runner in the race and had a massive lead in the South Carolina primary. Now, he enters Saturday without a victory yet in the primary race and clinging to a single-digit lead in the polls in a state that was supposed to be his firewall.
Still, Biden confidently predicted: "I will win South Carolina."
