Twelve Democratic presidential candidates squared off at a debate on Tuesday night in Westerville, Ohio, where Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) came under fierce attack, underscoring her rise to the top of the pack in the race for the nomination.
Here are the candidates who stood out during the debate.
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Buttigieg had a strong night and might have emerged as the winner of the debate.
The performance is well-timed for Buttigieg, who burst out of the gate but has stagnated in recent months.
Recent polls of Iowa show that he’s getting a second look from voters, and Tuesday night’s debate could give him a burst of momentum heading into the final months before the caucuses.
Buttigieg went aggressively after Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), accusing her of equivocating on the central question of whether taxes would have to be raised on the middle class to pay for her “Medicare for All” plan.
“Your signature, senator, is to have a plan for everything, except this,” Buttigeig said.
The South Bend mayor had set himself on a collision course with Warren in recent weeks, taking positions to establish himself as a centrist who is not afraid to take on the progressive wing of the party.
Late in the debate, Buttigieg pivoted off of a Medicare for All squabble to accuse Warren of promoting “infinite partisan combat” and to criticize former Vice President Joe Biden for believing that Washington can return to normal after President Trump leaves office.
