Biden, Buttigieg and Klobuchar battled over the center lane amid questions over race and party unityThe Democratic debate in New Hampshire topped off a turbulent week for Democrats, marked by chaos at the Iowa caucuses and continuing fallout from Donald Trump’s Senate acquittal.For more than two and a half hours, seven candidates confronted each other and took full advantage of their final televised opportunity to pitch themselves as the top choice ahead of the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday. Despite a few moments of levity and camaraderie, this debate was markedly tenser than some of its predecessors as the frontrunners sought to capitalize on their momentum, while those who lagged behind endeavored to stay in the game. Attacks were more direct, and ideological contrasts more clearly defined.Here are five of the night’s key takeaways: Moderates sought to dominate the center lane – and take down SandersAmy Klobuchar made an especially strong showing. Americans are looking for a candidate who can attract a broad coalition of support, “and I would submit that is me,” the Minnesota senator said.“I like Bernie just fine,” she said of Sanders, the progressive Vermont senator. “We actually have worked together on a number of things”. But she argued that Democrats were “better off” with someone who could win in red districts.Playing up her midwestern values, Klobuchar also appealed directly to voters. “I know you. I will fight for you, “ she said. “If you have trouble deciding if you are going to pay for your childcare or your long-term care, I know you and I will fight for you. If you have trouble figuring out if you’re going to fill your refrigerator or prescription, I know you and I will fight for you.”Following the debate, her campaign saw a fundraising surge.Joe Biden made a case for himself as well, going after Sanders’ record on gun control and his embrace of the “socialist” label, while promoting his own long legacy in government and his partnership with Barack Obama. “I was there,” the former vice-president said repeatedly as he listed diplomatic and legislative victories including the signing of the Paris climate agreement.Pete Buttigieg took a swipe at Sanders as well, saying that America needed a candidate who could unite them, rather than “dividing people with the politics that says ‘if you don’t go all the way to the edge, it doesn’t count;’ a politics that says ‘my way or the highway.’” Biden and Sanders spoke the mostBoth candidates spoke for about 20 minutes each, ahead of the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Buttigieg and Klobuchar. The most vocal candidates were also often the most willing to go on the offensive.Sanders and Buttigieg, who both declared victory after the Iowa caucuses, sparred over campaign finance, among other topics. “Unlike some of the campaigns up here – Pete – I don’t have 40 billionaires contributing to my campaign,” Sanders said.Buttigieg, as he has in the past, responded that unlike other candidates – including Sanders – he wasn’t a millionaire or a billionaire. Later, he added: “I will not pursue politics by telling people they can’t be by our side.”Though the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren placed third in Iowa, she spoke for less time than competitors who had received less support. Political commentators noted she often faded into the background for long stretches – both because moderators seemed to single her out less often and because she wasn’t as aggressive as her competitors in stealing the spotlight. The Democratic frontrunners – all of them white – grappled with race With all the candidates of color, save Andrew Yang, having either dropped out of the presidential race or failed to qualify for the debate, a group of white frontrunners tried to make a case for why each of them was best suited to win over black and Latino voters.“We should set up a commission on race to retell the story of the last 400 years,” said Tom Steyer. “Let’s talk about Jim Crow, let’s talk about Martin Luther King Jr, let’s talk about Barbara Lee, the congresswoman from Oakland who is one of our great leaders.”Steyer singled out Biden, calling on him to disavow racist comments from a campaign surrogate. Biden responded that he had earned endorsements from many black lawmakers, “double what you have or anybody else has”.Later, Buttigieg was questioned about an increase in black arrests in South Bend after he became mayor, Buttigieg tried to evade. “I took a lot of heat for discussing systemic racism with my own police force,” he said.Asked whether Buttigieg’s answer was substantial enough, Warren responded simply: “No.” She also advocated for “race-conscious laws in education, in employment” and other sectors of society.“We need to rework our criminal justice system,” she said. “But we cannot just say criminal justice is the only time we want to talk about race.” The old guard faced off against the outsiders In a standout moment from the debate, Klobuchar knocked down the idea of being a “cool newcomer”. “We have a newcomer in the White House and look where it got us,” she said. “I don’t think that’s what people want right now.”She, along with Warren, Biden and Sanders, touted experience and expertise.Buttigieg, the youngest candidate, asserted: “If we want to beat this president, we’re got to be ready to move on from the playbook that we’re relied on in the past.”Biden hit back: “I don’t know what about the past of Barack Obama and Joe Biden was so bad.”Steyer, another outsider, praised all the candidates’ policies and plans. “I love all these people, and they’re all right,” Steyer said.But what really mattered, he said, was “who can take down Mr Trump”.
