I’m still in Australia, with a 15 hour time difference, so I’m not watching the two debates in which 20 Democratic presidential candidates will be contending with each other. I invite you to discuss the debates here, at this post, in the comments.
Do you see any new contenders emerging out of the pack? Did any of the presumptive front-runners do or say anything that might hurt their prospects? I’d like to hear from both Democrats, who will be choosing one of the candidates to vote for in the upcoming primaries, and Republicans. Also Independents.
If you supported Trump before, do you see yourself switching to any of these candidates, or do think Trump would be better? If you did not support Trump, might you do so this time? Which of these candidates would make you more or less likely to vote for Donald Trump?
Also, in your opinion and setting aside questions of electability, do any of these candidates strike you as making a good president?
Here are the 20 qualifying candidates, as divided into two groups of 10 for the debates. From CNN Politics:
The Wednesday debate will feature:
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
- Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas
- Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey
- Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro
- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii
- Washington Gov. Jay Inslee
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
- Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York
- Former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland
- Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio
The Thursday debate will feature:
- Former Vice President Joe Biden
- Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
- Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana
- Sen. Kamala Harris of California
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
- Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado
- Author Marianne Williamson
- Rep. Eric Swalwell of California
- Businessman Andrew Yang
- Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper
Illustration: “Debate Logo,” CC BY-SA 3.0, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15169218 via Wikimedia Commons
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