HOW TO THINK ABOUT IT
Woman with the plan. Night one (Wednesday) will spotlight Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 70 (pictured). Her “I have a plan” mantra has helped her catch fire with the Democratic base, as a series of detailed policy proposals on everything from canceling student debt to breaking up tech giants have become a rallying cry. But look for her to draw more attention to her working class upbringing in Oklahoma, and struggles early in her career in academia. Moderators or other candidates could press her on whether her quest to essentially remake the American economy is feasible, and on whether she played up her (negligible) Native American heritage for career gain.
Young guns. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, 50, has been running on a message of “love,” but also took aim at Biden’s recent comments about working with segregationists (the former veep commented that Mississippi Democratic Sen. James Eastland called him “son,” but not “boy”). Expect the moderators to ask Booker to elaborate. The star has faded for former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, 46, even as the quirky, social media savvy candidate has kept up a relentless road schedule and is skilled with the baby-kissing, diner-visiting side of the trail. He’ll be seeking a viral moment, such as his defense of NFL player protests that propelled his U.S. Senate campaign.
All in moderation. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, 59, wants to be Biden without the baggage. The eat-your-vegetables moderate will pitch pragmatism and her electoral strength with rural heartlanders back home, and could clash with Warren, as could Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, 45. So will former Maryland Rep. John Delaney, 56, who was the first candidate to announce in 2017, and has been running on a pro-compromise platform.
Playing to strengths. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, 58, has been either ridiculed or ignored since he joined the race, but his punch-a-bully-in-the-mouth approach to Trump could win him applause in Miami. Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, 44, the only Latino in the race, has gone big on immigration (proposing to decriminalize illegal border crossings) and will try to grab the Barack Obama oratory baton. Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, 38, will want to pivot to foreign policy, where her strongly anti-interventionist views could make her stand out when talking about Iran. But when it comes to crises, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, 68, has a one-track mind — climate change. Expect him to gripe that the DNC won’t allow a whole debate on it.
Night two, election boogaloo. Former VP Joe Biden, 76, will be at the center and taking arrows from all sides. While he’s by far the most experienced presidential candidate (this is his third attempt) and debater on stage, he’s never been in a position like this. Biden leads in polls by drawing on widespread goodwill from eight years as Obama’s White House wingman, the goofy “Uncle Joe” persona and the expectation that he’d be the most formidable foe against Trump across the Rust Belt. But the “electability” argument can fade quickly if he stumbles on stage. This is the most important night of his run so far.
Mister Mayor. South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 37, has been the surprise of the cycle, surging into the top tier of polling and fundraising with a future-oriented message and an out-of-this-world bio (a gay, Harvard-educated Navy vet who speaks Norwegian and plays piano with Ben Folds). He’s starting to take hits, though, for being light on policy and for his response to the recent killing of a Black man by a South Bend police officer. At a town hall event Sunday, he faced jeers from Black South Bend residents over whether he’d done enough to make sure police use body cameras.
Good on camera. Back again after yanking the party to the left with his 2016 run, Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, 77, is the hipster lefty of the bunch: He was proposing Medicare for all and free college before it was cool. His most memorable debate line of his last campaign was when he told Hillary Clinton, “The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails.” Meanwhile, California Sen. Kamala Harris, 54, has had some of her best moments in televised Senate hearings deploying her prosecutorial skills against political foes, but her campaign has not lived up to early expectations. The biggest question for her is whether she’ll try to mix it up with her foes or play it safe.
Mavericks. The two biggest wild cards on stage are the non-politicians: self-help author Marianne Williamson, 66, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang, 44. Williamson could reach an untapped mass of not super politically engaged voters with her spiritual renewal message. Yang is the king of memes, and will try to expand a young base he’s hooked with ideas like universal basic income and abolishing the penny. If they find traction, keep an eye out for other candidates swiping their ideas and language.
And the rest. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, 52, has been considered a presidential contender for years but has underperformed so far. She’ll try to lean in hard on abortion politics; watch for her to take on Biden for flip-flopping on a ban on federal abortion funding. The Coloradans — former Gov. John Hickenlooper, 67, and his onetime protege, Sen. Michael Bennet, 54 — are bringing the let’s-all-compromise style for night two. You’ll probably hear Hickenlooper talk about his craft brewing career, and Bennet talk about beating back a recent cancer scare. California Rep. Eric Swalwell, 38, is still trying to find his stride as the gun control candidate, proposing to ban and buy back every “assault rifle” in America.
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