Winners and Losers of the Democratic Debate

Welcome to Opinion’s commentary for the Sept. 12 Democratic presidential candidate debate in Houston, Tex. In this special feature, Times Opinion writers rank the candidates on a scale of 1 to 10: 1 means the candidate probably didn’t belong on the stage and should probably drop out; 10 means it’s on, President Trump. Here’s what our columnists and contributors thought about the debate.

See rankings for the debates on July 31 and Aug. 1.

Elizabeth Warren

Gail Collins (9/10) — Great at bringing things back to the corruption issue and talking about being a public school teacher.

Ross Douthat (6/10) — Another solid performance overall, but she lost the opening exchange on health care and disappeared entirely for the first hour.

Maureen Dowd (6/10) — More free stuff and Aunt Bee! Warren’s expertise is appealing in the age of Trump, though, like President Obama, she tends to lecture.

Michelle Goldberg (7/10) — She’s so good at this, but still hasn’t figured out how to address the anxieties a lot of people have about Medicare for All. And it was disappointing that she didn’t get to engage more with Biden, especially on issues like the 2005 bankruptcy bill.

David Leonhardt (8/10) — No Democratic politician today, on that stage or not, is better at communicating economic ideas. She makes them personal and political. Still she’s vulnerable on Medicare for All.

Miriam Pawel (9/10) — Consistently strong across a range of issues, unruffled by Biden’s attacks on health care, she got stronger as the debate went on — with points for fortitude and versatility.

Melanye Price (9/10) — She feels more emotionally authentic and accessible than any other candidate. She gets to the heart of things about educational costs and what it feels like to claw for opportunities when the odds seem stacked against you. While most of the candidates tonight seemed battle weary, she came off as roaring to fight more.

Mimi Swartz (7/10) — She did fine, and maybe that’s all she had to do.

Pete Wehner (5/10) — She was highly evasive on her health care plan and overall she was completely forgettable. Invoking Jay Inslee as a trailblazer mean you’ve by definition had a subpar night. After several good debate performances, she lost altitude in Houston.

Will Wilkinson (8/10) — She excelled in her allotment with a typical blend of folksy charm, masterful lucidity and passionate corporation bashing.

Tanzina Vega (8/10) — Warren may have a plan for everything but she continued to skirt the question about how much her health care plan would raise taxes on American families. But she is consistent, and at a certain point maybe Democratic voters will also agree that she “knows what’s broken” and “how to fix it.”

Kamala Harris

Gail Collins (5/10) — Nothing she did made me forget how bad she was last time around.

Ross Douthat (5/10) — No terrible moments, a few good ones, but nothing to stop her slow fade out of the top tier.

Maureen Dowd (5/10) — She went all Brechtian and broke the fourth wall to talk directly to President Trump. But it’s hard for her to be commanding while she’s still trying to calibrate her prosecutorial record. She still doesn’t have the Vision Thing.

Michelle Goldberg (8/10) — The direct address to Donald Trump in her opening statement was pretty satisfying and also a clever gambit to get him to attack her. As someone who has kids in elementary school and can’t bear seeing them traumatized by active shooter drills, I found her riff on the subject genuinely powerful and suspect it will resonate with a lot of parents.

David Leonhardt (8/10) — Best opening statement. Her goal was obvious, but it worked: We could imagine her on a stage debating Trump, and doing it well.

Miriam Pawel (5/10) — She avoided strategic errors (if not factual ones) and avoided weak defensive answers by turning questions into an attack on Trump. She was relaxed and well coached, and laughed a lot at her own jokes.

Melanye Price (6/10) — She basically focused on Trump all night. Bold, but she’s not running in the general. She can’t make that pivot until she quells criticism about her criminal justice record.

Mimi Swartz (8/10) — She was warmer and more relaxed than in previous debates. “Small dude” joke won the night.

Pete Wehner (6/10) — She decided to cozy up to Barack Obama and aim her fire on Donald Trump. She got off some good lines against him, but it doesn’t help that she laughs a little too hard at her own jokes (especially about “The Wizard of Oz”).

Will Wilkinson (6/10) — She was appealingly loose, warm and human — which made her inability to adequately offer direct answers to her record as a prosecutor all the more notable.

Tanzina Vega (6/10) — She might know how to work the system from the inside but that’s exactly what makes left leaning Democrats worried about her. They’re still trying to understand whose side she’s really on.

Cory Booker

Gail Collins (7/10) — So intense he kind of runs you over.

Ross Douthat (7/10) — He continues to be the most consistently eloquent and engaging figure on the stage. Maybe one of these days it will help his poll numbers.

Maureen Dowd (4/10) — Not much of a presence.

Michelle Goldberg (8/10) — He’s terrific in these debates. During the health care portion, he was able to combine support for the goal of Medicare for All with openness to incremental reform without seeming slippery. I remain baffled about why he hasn’t been able to break out.

David Leonhardt (6/10) — He looked like he was enjoying himself, no small thing in a televised debate. Too many meta comments about what the debate conversation was about.

Miriam Pawel (4/10) — Again showed himself an articulate, passionate debater and stepped in well to unify the group, but this isn’t going to give him the breakthrough he needs.

Melanye Price (7/10) — He positions himself as the principled voice of reason, a moral visionary who can preach us into a brighter future. He seemed more like a visionary than anyone might have expected or than his opponents who got bogged down in arguments of the minutiae of health care plans. The problem with his performance is that Democratic voters who want a visionary have already chosen Sanders or Warren.

Mimi Swartz (5/10) — He was eloquent and inspiring, but somehow his message of love and togetherness doesn’t quite elevate him into the first tier.

Pete Wehner (7/10) — He’s been the Democrat’s most consistently impressive debater. He is less angry and more knowledgeable than a lot of the other candidates. He rarely slips up and has the most consistently uplifting message.

Will Wilkinson (7/10) — He’s tightening his game. He offered excellent answers on gun control and criminal justice. His “greatest setback” came off like a humblebrag.

Tanzina Vega (5/10) — He came across as likable but much of his rhetoric was light on actual policy.

Pete Buttigieg

Gail Collins (7/10) — Not much impact, except when he talked about the military and his personal story.

Ross Douthat (4/10) — Meh.

Maureen Dowd (5/10) — Petering out.

Michelle Goldberg (6/10) — He seemed a little less sharp than in previous debates, but his answer on coming out of the closet as mayor during an election year was humanizing for a candidate who often seems coldly technocratic.

David Leonhardt (7/10) — He makes the best case against the primary’s worst ideas: The problem with mandatory Medicare is that “it doesn’t trust the American people. I trust you to choose what makes the most sense for you.”

Miriam Pawel (4/10) — He had a great finish and it will endure as a memorable moment of the 2020 campaign, but it won’t push him into the top tier.

Melanye Price (3/10) — His light is fading. There were no real standout moments from him tonight and Castro seemed more like the young wunderkind than Mayor Pete. As a middle-of-the-road candidate, he’s in a political vacuum.

Mimi Swartz (9/10) — He acquitted himself extremely well — gravitas with a sense of humor.

Pete Wehner (6/10) — He needed a breakthrough debate; he didn’t get it. He had some good moments, including making the best case against Medicare for All (trust Americans to choose what’s in their best interest) and his closing statement. But he never found his stride on a night he really needed to.

Will Wilkinson (7/10) — Mayor Pete seemed low-key, but delivered one impressive answer after another. That still didn’t stop his studied gravity and teacher’s-favorite mien from putting me off. It’s probably just me.

Tanzina Vega (8/10) — Buttigieg’s moving personal account of being a soldier during the era of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and his subsequent coming out, felt like an authentic moment younger voters in particular might empathize with.

Beto O’Rourke

Gail Collins (6/10) — He had one great moment with his passion about gun regulation.

Ross Douthat (4/10) — Extremely woke, coming-for-your-guns Beto might be an improvement on pointless-waste-of-campaign-dollars Beto. But only a marginal one.

Maureen Dowd (6/10) — Thank [expletive] God someone finally said it: “Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.”

Michelle Goldberg (8/10) — The other candidates praised his response to the El Paso massacre because they don’t see him as competition, but he had by far his best debate. His impassioned answer on guns was thrilling — “Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15!” That was the version of O’Rourke that made his Senate campaign so inspiring.

David Leonhardt (6/10) — Extra credit for saying that, yes, he wants to take away guns that are designed to kill people.

Miriam Pawel (5/10) — The home-state favorite found his voice after the El Paso shooting, but one issue gets you only so far — a strong performance for a Senate launch.

Melanye Price (4/10) — The biggest fear of N.R.A. members is that the government is coming for their guns. Beto said he would take AK-47s and AR-15s from homes, and that admission will be his undoing. It also makes him unlikely to win a campaign for Senate against John Cornyn. Many hoped he would make the shift. He cannot now.

Mimi Swartz (8/10) — He got so much praise from his fellow candidates! Beto is back!

Pete Wehner (4/10) — He was praised by everyone because he’s viewed as a threat by no one. He’s cloyingly opportunistic and radical, saying out loud (confiscating guns) what Democrats were once unwilling to say.

Will Wilkinson (8/10) — Beto is coming on strong. The appeal of his Jimmy Carteresque transparency and moral earnestness shined through in his moving and honest answer on gun control.

Tanzina Vega (7/10) — After the El Paso shootings in early August, O’Rourke was forced to take a stand on racism and gun violence and he hasn’t backed down on either. He was also the only candidate to say he would support a bill calling for reparations for African Americans.

Joe Biden

Gail Collins (8/10) — Started to garble in the third hour, but nothing terrible happened, so I guess he wins. Sigh.

Ross Douthat (6/10) — He won the early rounds, but instead of fading his energy spiked too high and he sounded incoherent by the end of the second hour. But any night that offers a chance to talk about grief and setbacks will end up okay for the front-runner.

Maureen Dowd (6/10) — Status quo is hard to make sexy. The garbled record player remark was a throwback, like Biden himself. But then, vinyl is chic again.

Michelle Goldberg (7/10) — He tripped over his words several times, but he was clearer and more energetic than in past debates. His “resilience” answer was a reminder of how much suffering he’s endured and his big heart. I hate to say it, since I still think he’ll be weak in a general election, but my guess is he solidified his front-runner status.

David Leonhardt (5/10) — A strong, energetic opening statement, and some good moments, especially the personal reflection. But he also told parents to educate their kids by turning on the record player. And Castro was right that Biden tries to take credit but no blame for Obama policies.

Miriam Pawel (7/10) — His best performance, though like a 78 r.p.m. on the record player he began to skip a little by the end.

Melanye Price (4/10) — He was asked about race and racial segregation. Here is what we learned: He married two teachers, is willing to stare down dictators and has seen racial policies change over his long career in politics. He suggested that black parents need the help of social workers to raise their own children. This will be his undoing in the African- American electorate.

Mimi Swartz (5/10) — He started out with guns blazing, but by mid-debate he seemed to run out of ammunition.

Pete Wehner (6/10) — He’s never been a great debater, and he’s more gaffe prone now than ever. He started out strong but he faded as the night went on. He’s utterly incomprehensible on Iraq and Afghanistan. Even I’m not sure I remember what a record player is and I worked in the Reagan administration. But Biden’s last answer, speaking about the grievous losses he experienced, was poignant and human.

Will Wilkinson (5/10) — His defensive aggression obscured his usual genial charm. As the debate stretched on, he became embarrassingly incoherent, and simply lied about his record on Iraq.

Tanzina Vega (6/10) — When it came to race, Biden focused on criminal justice reform, which is only one part of the institutional racism that black and brown Americans are facing today.

Bernie Sanders

Gail Collins (6/10) — Good health care rant but still too much like a cranky old uncle at Thanksgiving.

Ross Douthat (6/10) — I keep waiting for him to tweak his pitch a little and try to broaden his appeal, but he’s just running as Bernie Sanders — hoarsely but effectively.

Maureen Dowd (4/10) — Face it, Elizabeth Warren has stolen your act.

Michelle Goldberg (6/10) — He seemed shoutier than usual, but I’m glad he got a chance to articulate what he means by democratic socialism.

David Leonhardt (6/10) — We know Bernie by now. He has many charms. I’m not sure how he grows his support among primary voters.

Miriam Pawel (6/10) — The hoarseness didn’t help and he suffered by being in Warren’s shadow, but his message was consistent and health care is still a winning issue

Melanye Price (5/10) — He seemed exhausted, and it wasn’t his night. But I don’t think he will lose any ground because Bernie loyalists will continue to support him.

Mimi Swartz (4/10) — The hoarseness didn’t help his angry old uncle act.

Pete Wehner (5/10) — Even when he’s tired, even when he’s hoarse, he has a nearly supernatural ability to yell at people. And how does he stay perpetually agitated? He also showed again that he’s a democratic socialist through and through.

Will Wilkinson (7/10) — His hoarseness demonstrated that one may not continuously yell at high volumes with total impunity. Still, America’s favorite democratic socialist turned in a typically solid performance. He’s the most take-it-or-leave-it guy up there.

Tanzina Vega (8/10) — In typical style, Sanders tussled with Warren and Biden on healthcare reform. He gets extra points for reminding Biden that he voted against the Iraq war and all three of Trump’s military budgets.

Amy Klobuchar

Gail Collins (6/10) — Some great one-liners and finale, but that’s her only star turn.

Ross Douthat (6/10) — She was more interesting, intense and combative than in previous debates. But she still needs a Biden collapse to have a rationale.

Maureen Dowd (5/10) — She has good ideas and makes sense, but it’s just not going to happen. The middle lane is occupied.

Michelle Goldberg (5/10) — She did fine, but given where she is in this race, fine isn’t enough.

David Leonhardt (5/10) — She was at her best when making the pitch for electability. At her worst when she lapsed into senatorial detail.

Miriam Pawel (4/10) — She needed a breakthrough, and her most memorable line may have been the one everyone should have avoided: “Houston, we have a problem.”

Melanye Price (3/10) — She wants to represent the people in the middle of extremes — a losing argument, as she is one of the few moderates left standing — but barely. Her Midwestern sensibilities are key to how she positions herself, but like Buttigieg, she is out of step with the rest of the party.

Mimi Swartz (6/10) — She’s perfecting her one liners but not sure it moved the needle.

Pete Wehner (6/10) — She was fine, somewhat better than in the past but not nearly good enough. She appealed to unity, but came across as thoroughly uncharismatic.

Will Wilkinson (6/10) — She continues to cleverly escape withering media attention through sedately relatable but otherwise invisible performances.

Tanzina Vega (5/10) — She wasn’t able to compete with the energy of many of the bigger names on the stage either on policy or in personality.

Julián Castro

Gail Collins (6/10) — He’s still playing smartest boy in the class.

Ross Douthat (3/10) — He decided to play the Eric Swalwell role, as the also-ran trying to goad Joe Biden about his age. It did as much for him as it did for Swalwell.

Maureen Dowd (4/10) — Hyperfocused on Biden, trying to get him on the age issue, he snottily taunted him after an exchange on health care: “Are you forgetting already what you said just two minutes ago?” Castro may find, as Harris did after the first debate, that this kind of attack leaves a sour aftertaste for many Dems.

Michelle Goldberg (4/10) — There needs to be an open discussion of Biden’s mental prowess, because he often seems old, unsteady and incoherent. But Castro’s taunts — “Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago?” — backfired, because they were both harsh and wrong.

David Leonhardt (3/10) — Try to imagine Obama, J.F.K. or F.D.R. making the memory crack in a debate. Castro repeated it, to make sure we all understood. It ruined his good moments.

Miriam Pawel (2/10) — He had nothing to lose by going after Biden, but in the end, nothing to win, either.

Melanye Price (7/10) — I know some people will say Castro was disrespectful. I disagree. He was a pugilist whose strategy was to go down fighting everybody. He was memorable because he challenged the old guard and because he told stories about his life and career that countered the false narrative Trump has created about Latinos and their place in America. He seems perfectly poised to be a running mate who will fight for the nominee.

Mimi Swartz (8/10) — He bordered on smart-alecky but once again held his own.

Pete Wehner (2/10) — He came across as intensely unlikeable and self-satisfied. Apparently he felt like someone needed to pick up the baton from Bill de Blasio.

Will Wilkinson (6/10) — I fear his sniping didn’t help him, and he clearly screwed up in accusing Biden of forgetting what he had just said about health care. But it’s a debate, and I’m firmly on the side of argumentative aggression against the debate’s obnoxious civility cops.

Tanzina Vega (6/10) — He leaned a bit more into his Latino identity this time, using Spanish in his opening line and citing racial violence in El Paso Texas against “people who look like me.” And yet on immigration he shied away from talking about his plan to decriminalize border crossings and focused more on DACA.

Andrew Yang

Gail Collins (1/10) — Lost me from his “freedom dividend” plan to give 10 families $1,000 a month.

Ross Douthat (5/10) — A fine night generally, but the Yangbucks pilot program played as too much of a gimmick when he needs to be getting more voters to take him seriously.

Maureen Dowd (4/10) — Quirky was fun in debates one and two but he doesn’t seem relevant now.

Michelle Goldberg (3/10) — His scheme to give 10 families $1,000 a month is gimmicky and gross — the last thing we need is another game show president.

David Leonhardt (4/10) — The “I’m giving away $1,000” gimmick made me yearn for the future debates that he won’t qualify for. His stirring answer on campaign-finance reform almost changed my mind.

Miriam Pawel (1/10) — He started out with a gimmick, and went downhill from there.

Melanye Price (5/10) — In the last debate, he was memorable for his discussion of the robots and mechanized labor that are taking jobs from human beings. Last night, he dropped the robots and simply offered voters cash. It was unexpected and comical to his opponents, who openly laughed.

Mimi Swartz (2/10) — Andrew, the Democratic debates are not a game show with you supplying the grand prize.

Pete Wehner (3/10) — He’s “pro-good school.” He’s signed a pledge to “end the forever wars.” He also advocated for his gimmicky Freedom Dividend idea. He said some other things, too, but I honestly don’t remember them.

Will Wilkinson (5/10) — He wants to give every American $1,000 a month and has a good gimmick for building his mailing list. At this point, the mailing list sort of seems like what he’s in it for.

Tanzina Vega (4/10) — He criticized American politics focus on the “almighty dollar” but then turned around and offered “freedom dividends” offer came across as a stunt. This could be the last time we see Yang on the debate stage.