Candidates work media in post-debate spin room – 12:15 a.m.
The scene following Wednesday night’s debate was chaotic as the candidates dispersed into the spin room to try to frame the conversation following the main event.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, former Housing Secretary Julian Castro, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former John Delaney Rep. John Delaney and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar all appeared in person among the crowds of reporters gathered.
Castro, de Blasio and Booker, who each had standout moments during the debate, were mobbed by dozens of cameras and print reporters as they entered the room. Castro and de Blasio took victory laps, each telling reporters he was happy with how he drove the conversation.
Other campaigns, including a handful representing candidates not debating till Thursday, sent surrogates and advisers to drive talking points to the media.
Bill de Blasio makes no apologies – 12:05 a.m.
Bill de Blasio is making no apologies for his aggressive style during the first Democratic debate.
The New York mayor says Democrats shouldn’t “be afraid to mix it up” and argues it’s a “giant turnoff to the voters” when politicians mince their words.
De Blasio notably went after former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke for his opposition to eliminating private insurance in favor of nationalized health care.
De Blasio faces an uphill battle to secure the nomination.
But after the debate he chalked up his pugilism to frustration with his rivals. He says many of them said things that didn’t “fit the values of the party” and he is vowing to “call ’em out.”
Dems end debate by touting promise of America – 11:10 p.m.
The Democratic presidential candidates have concluded the first 2020 debate emphasizing the promise of America.
The 10 candidates ended the night Wednesday by boiling down their stump speeches into answers that included why they were best positioned to beat President Donald Trump and how the primary is a battle for the soul of the Democratic Party.
Fighting poverty, combating climate change and the proper role of government were prominent features of the concluding comments of the first debate of the 2020 cycle.
Thursday will be the second night of debates. It, too, will feature 10 candidates, including front-runners former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. California Sen. Kamala Harris and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg will also appear.
Dems on biggest US threat: China, Trump, Russia – 11 p.m.
The 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls have given a range of answers about what they see as the greatest threat facing the U.S., including China, climate change and President Donald Trump.
The most common answer at Wednesday’s debate was China, mentioned by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, ex-Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Russia because the country “is trying to undermine our democracy.”
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke said climate change. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who’s made climate change the emphasis of his campaign, pointed instead to Trump.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii said nuclear war, which also got a mention from Delaney. Klobuchar also said Iran.
Climate change is a unifying topic – 10:45 p.m.
The urgency with which to address changes in the world’s climate has emerged as somewhat of a unifying topic at the first Democratic presidential debate.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee called his state’s progress on the issue the “gold standard.” He said Wednesday that he’s the only member of the massive Democratic field to make tackling the problem his top priority.
Asked how he’d win over voters worried about possible government overreach in climate-related restrictions, former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke pledged to help communities including the debate host city Miami, an area “on the front lines of climate change today.”
Former Obama-era Cabinet secretary Julián Castro vowed a recommitment to the Paris Climate Accord, while former Maryland Rep. John Delaney noted he was alone in introducing a bipartisan carbon tax bill in Congress.
Warren has ‘a plan for it,’ even for McConnell – 10:35 p.m.
Elizabeth Warren’s campaign trail refrain is that she has “a plan for it.” That apparently extends to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who refused to hold a hearing for President Barack Obama’s last Supreme Court nominee.
Warren was asked during Wednesday’s Democratic presidential debate if she has a plan for dealing with the Kentucky Republican, who prides himself in blocking Democrats’ legislative priorities.
She answered, “I do,” drawing cheers from the audience.
The Massachusetts senator says energized Democrats have to “stay on the front lines,” even after the 2020 presidential election is decided.
She says pressure must be applied both from activists on the outside and leaders on the inside “to make sure this Congress reflects the will of the people.”
Democrats talk gun violence in personal terms – 10:20 p.m.
The Democratic presidential candidates are talking in very personal terms about gun violence and how to curb it.
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said at Wednesday’s debate that he lives in a neighborhood where shootings are common. He supports gun licensing and says, “This is not about policy. This is personal.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts says the toughest questions she’s gotten on the campaign trail are from kids who ask how she’d keep them safe. Warren says the U.S. should “double-down” on research into what works to reduce gun violence.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio talked about raising a black son and trying to keep him safe, including from police.
Wednesday’s debate is taking place in Miami, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the high school in Parkland, Florida, where a gunman killed 17 people last year.
Technical difficulties derail second hour – 10:10 p.m.
The second hour of the first Democratic presidential debate has been derailed by technical difficulties.
As debate moderators Rachel Maddow and Chuck Todd took over Wednesday for the next round of the debate, the 10 candidates on stage were unable to hear the question Todd was trying to ask about the federal government’s role in getting guns off the street.
Following back-and-forth confusion, Todd announced the debate would head to a commercial break.
It wasn’t immediately clear what happened.
President Donald Trump tweeted that debate hosts NBC and MSNBC “should be ashamed of themselves for having such a horrible technical breakdown in the middle of the debate.”
Trump is en route to Japan for the Group of 20 summit.
Trump not mentioned much in first hour – 10:05 p.m.
The first hour of the first Democratic presidential debate of the 2020 cycle passed with hardly a mention of the man whom the 10 candidates on stage hope to face next November.
It was 16 minutes into the debate before President Donald Trump’s name was uttered by Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who briefly referenced him again as the debate headed into its second hour.
Responding to a question about U.S. tensions with Iran, Klobuchar said, “I don’t think we should conduct foreign policy in our bathrobe at 5 in the morning.”
Other candidates invoked the president’s name in making their arguments on immigration.
Trump was en route to Japan for the G-20 summit as the two-night event got underway. He has weighed in once so far on the debate, tweeting, “BORING!”
Booker is alone in calling Iran deal a ‘mistake’ – 10 p.m.
Sen. Cory Booker is alone at the Democratic presidential debate in calling it a “mistake” to sign onto the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran.
The New Jersey senator was the only one of the 10 candidates on stage in Miami on Wednesday not to raise his hand when asked if he supported the deal. Under the agreement, Iran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium and submit to U.N. inspections in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
Pressed to explain his rationale, Booker said as president he would “do the best I can to secure this country.”
President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the accord in May 2018 and has imposed increasingly tough sanctions to pressure Iran into a better deal. The U.S. has threatened sanctions against countries that trade with Iran.
Democrats decry Trump administration’s immigration policies – 9:45 p.m.
The Democratic presidential candidates are decrying the Trump administration’s tough immigration policies, saying the president is to blame for the deaths of an immigrant father and his toddler daughter found lying face-down after drowning in the Rio Grande.
At Wednesday’s debate, former Obama administration housing chief Julián Castro says a photo of the family “is heartbreaking” and “should piss us all off.” He also attacked fellow Texan Beto O’Rourke for not supporting fully decriminalizing the act of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker spoke briefly in Spanish to further chastise Trump’s policies, O’Rourke, a former congressman, took a question in Spanish and answered it, saying, “We are going to treat everyone with respect.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says the economy hasn’t been hurt by immigrants. He says corporations are to blame.
First debate clash is over private insurance – 9:30 p.m.
The debate over how to handle private health insurance is emerging as a dividing line in the first 2020 Democratic debate.
Only Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio raised their hands when asked if they would abolish private health insurance entirely in favor of a government-run plan.
Warren went on to note that she supports a “Medicare for All” plan proposed by fellow hopeful Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The issue opened into a debate among many of the 10 candidates on stage on the first of two back-to-back debate nights. De Blasio later interrupted Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s answer on how he’d handle health insurance by declaring that the current system is “not working.”
Trump skips opening minutes of debate – 9:22 p.m.
President Donald Trump is skipping the opening minutes of the first Democratic debate to greet service members at Alaska’s Elmendorf Air Force Base.
Trump told troops as the debate was starting Wednesday: “I had my choice between you and them. And I chose you.”
Air Force One is refueling at the air base as Trump travels to Osaka, Japan, for meetings with world leaders at the Group of 20 summit. Asked how his opposition will fare, Trump says, “I think they’re all going to do very poorly.”
O’Rourke showed off his fluent Spanish – 9:20 p.m.
Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke showed off his fluent Spanish while answering his first question of the Democratic presidential debate.
O’Rourke said Wednesday in English at the debate in Miami that “this economy has got to work for everyone” and that, right now, it isn’t. Then he switched to Spanish, saying in that language that “we need to include everyone” in a booming national economy.
O’Rourke, who hails from the Texas-Mexico border city of El Paso, spoke in Spanish at length, then switched back to English. He said the Trump administration has focused on helping the wealthy and large corporations over everyday Americans — echoing similar sentiments of the other Democrats on stage.
Warren takes first question – 9:10 p.m.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren started off the first Democratic presidential debate answering a question about her policy driven campaign and how it may affect what is seen as a good economy.
Warren said Wednesday: “Who is this economy really working for?” She says, “It’s doing great for a thinner and thinner slice at the top.”
The Massachusetts senator says the economy is working well for “giant oil companies” and those who want to invest in private prisons, but not for those struggling and Americans facing the effects of climate change.
The second question of the night went to Sen. Amy Klobuchar on her criticism of the concept of free college.
Debate Kicks Off – 9 p.m.
The first debate of the 2020 Democratic presidential race is kicking off with a two-hour event featuring 10 candidates, including three senators, a mayor and several current or former members of Congress.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is center stage for Wednesday’s debate in Miami because she leads the night’s field in polling. She is flanked by former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey. At the far ends are New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland, who are polling at the bottom of the group.
The candidates will get right to it. NBC says they will be allowed to give closing statements but no openings.
Ten other candidates will meet Thursday for the second debate night.
DNC chairman fires up the crowd – 8:55 p.m.
The chairman of the Democratic National Committee is firing up the crowd at his party’s first presidential primary debate — and previewing some lines of attack that candidates will use against President Donald Trump.
Tom Perez said Wednesday that the planet is under threat from unchecked climate change and that justice itself has been threatened under the current administration.
He says the Trump White House is nothing but a long trail of “broken promises” and corruption. There was long applause when Perez said immigrant children shouldn’t be separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Ten Democrats hoping to deny Trump a second term will kick off two nights of back-to-back debates shortly. They entered the stage and waved to the audience before the debate began.
Guard at debate mistakes candidate for newsman – 8:40 p.m.
John Hickenlooper’s struggle to get noticed in the crowded presidential primary field was on full display when a staffer at the first Democratic debate mistook him for a member of the press.
The former Colorado governor was entering the Miami debate hall Wednesday when a security guard asked if he was there to pick up his media credentials.
A reporter for National Public Radio who witnessed the exchange tweeted that Hickenlooper responded: “I’m a candidate.”
But Hickenlooper may have gotten the last laugh with a jab at President Donald Trump, who was a reality TV star before he entered politics.
Hickenlooper quipped on Twitter: “Last time, we elected the most famous candidate. Let’s try something new.”
Hickenlooper will join nine other candidates Thursday night for the second of two debates.
Candidates visit migrant detention facility – 12:30 p.m.
White House hopefuls in Miami for the Democratic debates are trekking to nearby Homestead, Florida, to visit a large migrant detention facility.
The stops are intended to draw attention to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, which have seen migrant children separated from their families. Homestead is about 40 miles southwest of Miami and is a spot where the U.S. is detaining migrant teens.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren visited the site Wednesday, with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar planning a stop later in the afternoon.
Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke is scheduled to visit the site on Thursday.
And on Friday, California Sen. Kamala Harris, former housing secretary Julian Castro, former U.S. Rep. John Delaney and Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, all plan to visit.
2020 Democrats convene in Florida – 12:20 a.m.
Ten presidential candidates, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are set to meet on the debate stage for the first night of Democratic debates to offer their pitches to voters and attempt a breakout moment for their campaigns.
For many of the White House hopefuls, Wednesday’s debate will be the highest-profile opportunity yet to offer their vision for the country.
Given the massive field, the debate will be split over two nights, with 10 other candidates — including former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — appearing Thursday.
Warren, the sole top-tier candidate at Wednesday’s debate, will take center stage. But she could still face challenges. The other candidates aren’t as well known and could use the moment to make an aggressive move to stand out.
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—Democratic debate watch parties—and drinking games—are a thing
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—Issues that divide 2020 candidates going into the first Democratic debate
—These are the top-polling Democratic candidates
—The 2019 Democratic debate clashes you won’t get to see
—What to know About the 2019 Democratic debate: start time, schedule, format
