NBC hosted the first Democratic debate on June 26 and June 27, with twenty of the twenty-four declared major candidates participating. Ten candidates debated each day, and though NBC said the order was randomly allocated, four of the five top-polling candidates went on the second day, including frontrunner former Vice President Joe Biden.
The first debate, in which Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (currently second place in polls) participated, mostly focused on the candidates introducing themselves to the American people and what their main interests are. For example, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan focused on winning back working class voters while Washington Gov. Jay Inslee focused on climate change, which he has made a central issue to his campaign. Former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke was the subject of repeated attacks, most notably from Texas Rep. Julian Castro, who criticized his immigration plan, most notably in that it would not change unauthorized border crossings from a criminal to a civil offense (similar to parking tickets).
The second debate featured even sharper criticisms against each other, with Biden the most frequent target. California Rep. Eric Swalwell criticized Biden’s longevity in politics and argued its was time for someone new to be the party’s standard bearer. California Senator Kamala Harris criticized Biden’s earlier statements that spoke favorably of former segregationist politicians (though not their positions; his comments were on their “civility”) and his opposition to mandatory busing, a program aimed at integrating schools. Biden refused to apologize for his position on busing and also did not walk back his earlier comments on working with the segregationist senators.
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