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Elizabeth Warren got a taste of that front-runner life in Tuesday night’s CNN/New York Times debate.
Yes, I know, she’s not leading in all the polls. Joe Biden is clearly still a force to be reckoned with in the Democratic presidential race.
But there’s little question that Ms. Warren’s surge in the contest has reached a point where she has become the major obstacle to anyone seeking the nomination.
That shift hardly went unnoticed by the rest of the field. By my count, seven different candidates attacked Ms. Warren, on everything from her economic plans to her support for voluntary gun buybacks.
Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota accused Ms. Warren of reciting “Republican talking points.” Former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas said Ms. Warren was focused on “being punitive” in her plan to tax the wealth of the richest Americans. Senator Kamala Harris of California tried to hit Ms. Warren over her refusal to call for President Trump’s Twitter account to be suspended — an attack Ms. Warren barely even acknowledged.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., who took some of the most aggressive shots at Ms. Warren, probed how she would pay for her health care plan and whether it would involve raising taxes on middle-class families — a question she continued to dodge last night.
“Your signature, senator, is to have a plan for everything, except this,” said Mr. Buttigieg, after calling her “evasive.”
Even Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii tried to get in a jab or two, demanding to be shown Ms. Warren’s qualifications to be commander in chief.
Ms. Warren ignored the request.
One of the most striking moments came when Mr. Biden tried to take some credit for the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, one of Ms. Warren’s signature achievements.
“I went on the floor and got you votes” in Congress, he said, forcefully repeating himself three times.
Ms. Warren responded, “I am deeply grateful to President Obama, who fought so hard to make sure that agency was passed into law,” making no mention of Mr. Biden or his work.
“You did a hell of a job in your job,” he shot back.
Ms. Warren, seeming slightly taken aback by Mr. Biden’s biting tone (or perhaps looking to troll him), offered a quiet “thank you.”
The exchange marked a notable reversal in the race: In past debates, it was Mr. Biden who found himself fending off a series of attacks from opponents trying to weaken his commanding position in the race. With his numbers sliding and the latest financial reports showing that he trails several rivals in campaign cash, Ms. Warren now faces her turn in the spotlight.
On Tuesday night, she held her own through the incoming fire, trying to turn the attacks back on her critics by casting them as lacking in political vision and ambition.
And by refusing to answer whether her health care plan would raise taxes on the middle class, she avoided creating a sound bite that her aides worry could be easily used against her in the primary — or the general election.
The question now is what happens in the weeks to come.
A few other dynamics worth mentioning from the debate hall:
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First of all, a big congratulations to our own Marc Lacey, The Times’s National editor, who did a fantastic job as moderator along with CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett. Follow Marc on Twitter here.
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There has been a lot of chatter about Senator Bernie Sanders’s health after his heart attack two weeks ago. But the 78-year-old looked good on the stage, waving his arms with his signature aplomb. And he got a burst of news right as the debate concluded: He is picking up endorsements from two leading liberals in the party, the first-term representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
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Among the lower-tier candidates, Mr. Buttigieg and Ms. Klobuchar adopted far more aggressive tactics than in previous debates, trying to position themselves as the moderate alternative to Mr. Biden. Both have a lot of work to do. Despite his prodigious fund-raising and expansive field operation, Mr. Buttigieg has struggled to gain traction in the polls. Ms. Klobuchar hasn’t yet qualified for the November debate. Their performances Tuesday night could help move them forward.
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And this little newsletter writer even had her own turn in the political limelight. In Ms. Gabbard’s effort to invigorate her campaign and qualify for the November debate, she called a piece I wrote over the weekend — detailing her support from white nationalists, Russians and the alt-right — “completely despicable.” Want to know what all the fuss was about? Check it out here.
At On Politics, we always want to hear from our readers. Who had a big night? Whose night could have been better? Was Marc Lacey good, or really good? Send us your thoughts at onpolitics@nytimes.com.
… Seriously
We found Fred, the most “surprising friend” of Andrew Yang!
Fred, we’d love to chat. Call me!
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