Of the twenty campaigners for the 2020 presidential candidacy, only ten Democrats made the cut that allowed them to discuss world issues and national policies at the third Democratic debate, which took place on September 12, 2019. Those front-runners included Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Andrew Yang.

The main issue, which was also addressed during previous primary debates, remained healthcare, but other topics such as education, guns, and foreign policy also dominated the stage. Former Vice-President Biden stated that he planned to further many of Barack Obama’s healthcare policies such as the Affordable Care Act, whereas Senator Sanders and Senator Warren proposed their Medicare-for-All plans. Biden suggested that Sanders’ and Warren’s plans would place a heavy burden on taxpayers, while Sanders argued that the benefits outweighed the costs of free healthcare in the long-term.

As for gun policies, O’Rourke strongly supported mandatory gun buybacks, while other candidates argued for the action to be voluntary. On the topic of immigration, most candidates pledged to reduce Trump’s immigration restrictions and stood in favor of what some of their opponents have called open-border policies. When asked about economic ideals, Buttigieg strongly condemned Trump’s ability to handle foreign affairs and especially the trade war with China. As a former combat veteran in Afghanistan, Buttigieg also attacked Trump for “treating troops as props, or worse, troops for his own enrichment.” Most of the Democrats on stage agreed to pursue widespread higher education, especially among financially struggling families. Former tech executive and entrepreneur Andrew Yang proposed his $1,000 freedom dividend, which would support low income families in educating their children while stimulating the economy. Buttigieg, Harris, Warren and Booker all advocate increasing teacher salaries in the name of education. Despite the constant attacks and disagreements all of the Democrats had at the third Democratic debate, the night was eventful, and polls will probably continue to fluctuate from now until the next debate, which will take place on October 15.