Democratic debate: Who won? Candidates clash over healthcare, immigration, impeachment and more
Candidates clash over immigration, gun violence and the economy
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The race to the White house has officially begun, with the first Democratic presidential debate in Miami now over.
Tonight's showdown featured: Cory Booker, Bill de Blasio, Julián Castro, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Inslee, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O'Rourke, Tim Ryan and Elizabeth Warren.
The candidates clashed over immigration, gun violence and the economy - as well as getting in a number of digs at President Donald Trump.
The second 2020 debate will take place on Thursday evening with the remaining ten candidates having their chance to prove why they should be America's next president.
Follow how the debate progressed in the liveblog below
Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
Amy Klobuchar has said that "immigrants are America". She talks about the need for "workers in our factories and fields" and that we need them to start small businesses and their "ideas".
She says Mr Trump has gone backwards.
Tim Ryan says terrorists at Guantanamo Bay cared for better than migrants at border.
That is quite the line.
Mr De Blasio interrupted Castro earlier he says he was also upset to see the photo of the dead child at the border: “And I say this as a father”.
He talks directly to camera. He says immigrants didn’t take people’s jobs. It was big corporations, and the 1 per cent. He gets a round of applause.
We are back into another break and time to some up the latest questioning on Iran.
Amy Klobuchar said she would negotiate a better deal to get Iran to give up its nuclear programme . She criticises Mr Trump, saying he is “One tweet away from going to war.”
Most of the candidates say that Mr Trump was wrong to pull the US out of the nuclear deal agreed between Washington, Iran and other world powers in 2015 - all say they would try and get the US back in.
Elizabeth Warren is asked what her policy on guns. Should the federal government to play in order to get guns off the streets?
But technical difficulties mean we have to cut to an ad break.
Back - Warren says 7 children will die today thanks to gun violence.
She says it is a "national health emergency".
How would you get a Supreme Court justice nominated, when Republican leader in the Senate Mitch McConnell says he would oppose all a Democratic president’s nominees?
Some of the candidates say they’d deal with him by winning the Senate. That is unlikely
Ms Warren is asked if she has a plan to deal with Mr McConnell.
“I do,” she says, then pauses. That gets a round of applause. Sure, she wants a Democratic majority in the Senate, Warren says. But even with that the fight for equality in America goes on. We have to make this Congress reflect the will of people.
He are onto climate change, and Jay Inslee's pet issue.
He says Congress needs to pass a 100% clean electrical grid bill, which he’s passed in Washington state.
He says he is the only candidate that has climate as his number one issue.
Beto O'Rourke also has a big plan for climate change, worth trillions of dollars - he claims it would cut greenhouse gas emissions by half.
Mr Castro says the first thing he’d do as president is sign an order re-committing the US to the Paris Accord.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments