Tuesday night’s debate belonged to the front-runners, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. But their counterparts on Wednesday, Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Senator Kamala Harris, couldn’t quite replicate their dominance.
Neither did badly by any means: There was no doubt that Mr. Biden beat his lackluster performance from the first debate, and Ms. Harris held her own under a barrage of attacks, likely a product of her own strong showing last time.
But Wednesday’s most memorable performance, the experts seemed to agree, came from Senator Cory Booker — although so many candidates scored at least some points that strategists questioned whether the polls would move much.
Here is a sampling of responses from some of the people who know the stakes of debates best: veteran campaign strategists and consultants from both parties.
Booker seized the spotlight
Mr. Booker went after Mr. Biden fiercely on criminal justice, hammering home Mr. Biden’s role in creating the policies he is now proposing to reverse. Mr. Biden, in turn, attacked Mr. Booker’s record as mayor of Newark, but the consensus among strategists was that Mr. Booker came out on top.
They also praised Mr. Booker’s argument, early in the debate, that the candidates should focus less on intraparty disagreements on health care and more on their actual opponent, President Trump.
“Biden fired back on @CoryBooker about Newark policing under his mayoral Administration. But Booker was faster on the draw and came out ahead on style points.” — David Axelrod, former senior adviser to President Barack Obama
“Strong closing statement by @CoryBooker. He has a knack for weaving together family history with his values. Also, his shout-out to the host city (Detroit) didn’t come across as pandering.” — Laura Belin, Iowa political commentator
“Think it’s pretty clear @CoryBooker has best night. Made his own case — and did it well.” — Jennifer Palmieri, former spokeswoman for Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama
Biden exceeded low expectations
There was little doubt on Wednesday that Mr. Biden was more prepared and more polished than in the first debate, when he took a drubbing from Ms. Harris. He came armed with opposition research on her and Mr. Booker, and generally appeared more confident than last time.
His performance was uneven at times — and as several commentators noted, he was the only candidate to abruptly cut himself off, sometimes midsentence, when the moderators signaled he was out of time — but he easily cleared the low bar set by his last appearance.
“Excellent opening statement from @JoeBiden out of the gate. Rising above, focusing on Trump. General election attitude. It’s working.” — Adrienne Elrod, former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton
“@JoeBiden finally played the card he should have played in the last debate when @KamalaHarris challenged him on race. @BarackObama vetted his record and nominated him for Vice President.” — Mr. Axelrod
“Biden wobbling between strong moments — far better than Miami — and awkward stumbling.” — Mike Murphy, Republican consultant
“Castro’s hit on Biden was a tough hit. But this is a different Biden from the one we saw in the first debate. In Miami, he looked rattled. Not tonight. He’s taking the hits and pushing back.” — Mo Elleithee, former spokesman for Mrs. Clinton and the Democratic National Committee
Harris was mostly on defense
Ms. Harris dominated the first debate from start to finish. That lifted her significantly in the polls, but it also meant that on Wednesday, she was as much a target as Mr. Biden. Where she had been on offense, she now found herself on defense.
Still, while she did not shine as much as last time, she held her own.
“@KamalaHarris has been on defense all night. A stark difference from the first debate.” — Patti Solis Doyle, senior adviser to the 2008 Obama campaign
“@KamalaHarris is getting a lot of incoming and she’s handling it all well. I do not get what people are seeing who think she is flustered or unsteady. Bizarre to me.” — Ms. Palmieri
“@KamalaHarris’s closing is chilling. Usually these statements are formulaic. Hers is so powerful. Trump as a predator will ring true to many Democrats.” — Paul Begala, former adviser to Bill Clinton
Gillibrand divided the commentariat
Ms. Gillibrand may have had the most memorable line of the night, if not the most substantive: “The first thing that I’m going to do when I’m president,” she said, “is I’m going to Clorox the Oval Office.” She also brought the subjects of gender equality and sexual violence into a debate that had previously skirted them.
But on what she clearly hoped would be a defining moment — an attack on Mr. Biden for his opposition to an expanded child care credit in 1981 — the reviews were mixed. Some strategists loved it. But within the theater, the applause left little doubt that the audience was with Mr. Biden on this one. (Read more about the exchange here.)
“Strong case by @SenGillibrand on how she looks at impossible odds, with a good mix of her own accomplishments and the fight she’ll take to Trump.” — Christina Reynolds, spokeswoman for EMILY’s List
“I think @SenGillibrand is having a good night. Better than I expected: Not taking the bait to attack, staying on brand, elevating women in the policy conversations on healthcare and immigration.” — Emily Farris, political scientist at Texas Christian University
“Whoa. @JoeBiden calls out @SenGillibrand for accusing him of opposing women working outside the home. You can criticize Biden for a lot of things, but this attack smells crassly, political, and Joe unmasked it as such. The audience cheers.” — Mr. Begala
“This exchange w/ @SenGillibrand & @joebiden on his previous words on women working outside the home shows how gendered issues will be a weakness. This could be scratching the surface for Biden, as we may see in the coming months if he maintains lead.” — Christian Grose, political scientist at the University of Southern California
Gabbard, Inslee and Yang scored a few points
While not at the top of the pack, several lower-polling candidates managed to break through the noise at least once. Representative Tulsi Gabbard, in particular, attacked Ms. Harris on her prosecutorial record in a way other candidates had chosen not to or been unable to do. Andrew Yang and Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington also had their moments.
“@TulsiGabbard brought up all the points against @KamalaHarris that Internet commenters having been pointing out for several months. … If @JoeBiden could deliver a takedown as effectively as @TulsiGabbard just did, he’d be the nominee already.” — Frank Luntz, Republican pollster and consultant
“So Gabbard is the one who finally had the real courage to come for Kamala on her criminal justice record. It was FIERCE. Been waiting for this... Kamala is leaning in to her record, and she’s FIERCER. Just saying. Powerful back and forth.” — Aisha Moodie-Mills, Democratic strategist
“Yang is having a very good debate. It’s not just that he’s gotten more comfortable. It’s also that he sounds different than the other candidates without sounding loopy. It’s the Williamson role, but played by an analytical AI obsessive.” — Ezra Klein, editor of Vox
“I also think @JayInslee has had a very good night. Not flashy, but earnest. And on climate change, quite strong.” — Mr. Axelrod
The bottom line
2019-08-01 13:33:33Z
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