Democrats face off for night two of second primary debates – live updates

CBSN

The second set of Democratic presidential candidates takes the stage for the second primary debates Wednesday night on CNN.

Tuesday night’s debate saw a handful of moderate candidates taking aim at the leading progressives Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren primarily over “Medicare for All.”

The ten candidates sparred over everything from climate change to health care to nuclear weapons to reparations for slavery, with many of the lower-polling candidates using the opportunity to take shots at the frontrunners.

Wednesday night’s matchup will feature a string of frontrunners including former Vice President Joe Biden and California Sen. Kamala Harris — both of whom got into a heated exchange over busing to desegregate public schools during their last debate matchup.

Follow along for the key moments from the second Democratic primary debate. The second night of the debate will get underway Wednesday night.

Watch CBSN for live coverage following the debate

Sanders hauls in $1.1 million after Tuesday debate

The Sanders campaign is hailing a victory after it reported a haul of $1.1 million and more than 70,000 contributions from small-dollar donors since Tuesday.

Sanders’ campaign manager credits the candidate’s breakout performance during Tuesday night’s debate for the fundraising milestone.

“Bernie Sanders commanded the debate, his vision and ideas dominated the stage, and he left absolutely no doubt that he is the best candidate ready to take this fight to Donald Trump and finally bring the change we need to America,” said Campaign Manager Faiz Shakir.

“Bernie Sanders stood out as a champion of working people and marginalized communities.”

The fundraising feat is nothing to scoff at either as candidates must pass even stricter thresholds to make the September debate stage.

Ex-Clinton campaign manager: Health care debate could be vulnerability for Democrats

Ex-Clinton campaign manager: Health care debate could be vulnerability for Democrats

While “Medicare for All” has become a rallying cry for some Democrats, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign manager Robby Mook is concerned that the debate over health care specifics could be a vulnerability for Democrats in the general election.

“If the debate in the general election is about whether you get to keep your private health insurance that’s taking an issue that is a strength for our party right now and potentially turning it into a vulnerability,” Mook predicted.

It’s a warning shot that multiple moderate candidates fired during Tuesday night’s debate, suggesting that Bernie Sanders’ and Elizabeth Warren’s push for Medicare for All could hand a second term to President Trump.

Mook noted that while Democrats won the 2018 midterm elections running on health care and taxes, “if those things are flipped, where we might raise people’s taxes, where they’re uncertain about what happens to their health insurance, that could be a problem for us. We just have to navigate that. “

Who’s on stage tonight?

Candidates will appear on stage from left to right.

Warren, Sanders come out on top during Tuesday’s debate

The audience at Detroit’s Fox Theatre roared with applause for Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, two of the top contenders for the nomination.

Meanwhile, bottom-tier candidates like John Delaney, Tim Ryan and John Hickenlooper struggled to land their punches and connect with the audience, often choosing to attack Sanders and Warren rather than train their fire on the current administration.

Warren and Sanders emerged largely unscathed, having vigorously defended their proposals while upbraiding their opponents for failing to embrace bold policy positions.

“You know, I don’t understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can’t do and shouldn’t fight for,” Warren said, in one of the defining moments of the evening.

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