Based on how they did tonight, not my favorite candidate or who I think will win the nomination.

  1.  Elizabeth Warren – Turned the attacks from the moderates around and kept on message.  She was also able to turn around and push back effectively against the moderates, specifically Delaney.  Line of the night – “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.”
  2. John Delaney – effectively pushed the progressives on issues in their policies, but on the wrong side of Senator Warren’s comment
  3. Marianne Williamson – she’s still not going anywhere, but had some good audience reaction comments.
  4. Bernie Sanders – held his own against the moderate attacks, but relied on his tried and true lines a little too much.
  5. Steve Bullock – made some pretty good moderate points, but got flustered on the nuclear weapons debate.  And, hello, new-cle-ar, not new-cue-lar
  6. Amy Klobuchar – she started out nervous looking for the second straight debate.  I thought with her background, she’d be smoother.  Doesn’t bode well for standing up to Trump on a general election debate stage.  Good VP candidate for Joe Biden.
  7. Pete Buttigieg – Mayor Pete got caught in the middle of the attacking moderates (Delaney/Bullock) and the progressives (Warren/Sanders).  Buttigieg for Indiana Senator, 2022.
  8. Beto O’Rourke – also caught in the middle.  His ideas are too smooshy.  Run for Senate against Cornyn, Beto.
  9. John Hickenlooper – not really up to this.  Go run for Senate in Colorado, please.
  10. Tim Ryan – mostly absent tonight.  Made little impact on the debate.  Pundits, not pundints.