The seventh Democratic debate took place on Tuesday, January 14, and was full of major clashes between the remaining candidates for the presidential nomination. Tuesday’s debate was the last one before the February 3 Iowa caucuses, though no candidate had a clear breakout moment that’s likely to significantly change the polls.
Appropriately enough, the debate was hosted by The Des Moines Register and CNN, and took place at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Front-runners Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, and Elizabeth Warren have been locked in a tight race in Iowa, according to recent polls.
Only six candidates qualified for the January Democratic debate, making it the smallest one so far. Here’s everything you need to know about the seventh Democratic debate, including how to watch it if you missed it.
How to watch the January Democratic debate online
If you missed the debate when it was airing live, you can watch it in its entirety for free online on CNN’s website.
Which candidates qualified for the debate?
The Democratic National Committee raised its qualification requirements once again for the January debate. Candidates had to receive at least 5% support in four approved national or early state (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina) polls, or at least 7% in two early state polls. The candidates were also required to have at least 225,000 unique donors and at least 1,000 donors per state in 20 different states.
Here’s who made the cut this time around:
- Former Vice President Joe Biden
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont)
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts)
- Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota)
- Businessman Tom Steyer
Notably absent was Andrew Yang, the businessman who has qualified for all of the past debates. Spiritual guru Marianne Williamson, who did not qualify for the December debate, announced on January 10 that she would be dropping out of the race.
Also absent was former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is self-funding his campaign and thus does not meet the donor requirements. Bloomberg is largely ignoring most of the early states, hoping instead to have an impressive showing on Super Tuesday.
Who moderated the debate?
The debate was moderated by CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, CNN political correspondent Abby Phillip, and Brianne Pfannenstiel, the chief politics reporter at the Des Moines Register.
Who won the January debate?
There was no clear winner this time around. None of the candidates had any must-watch breakout moments, though there were some clashes between Warren and Sanders as two vie for the party’s left flank.
There was little talk this time around of tech policy, particularly social media, even though many candidates have criticized Facebook over its decision to continue to allow false or misleading political ads on the platform.
When is the next debate?
The eighth Democratic debate will take place in New Hampshire on Friday, February 7, the first of three debates in February. It will be hosted by ABC News, WMUR-TV, and Apple News.
