The Democratic contenders began the Tuesday’s debate on economic issues, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Cory Booker and Mayor Bill de Blasio taking turns denouncing corporate consolidation.
“We are supposed to break up big corporations when they’re not working for our democracy,” de Blasio said. “There’s plenty of money in this country. It’s just in the wrong hands.”
Warren was asked whether her plans pose a risk to economic growth.
She said the important question is, “Who is this economy really working for? It’s doing great for a thinner and thinner slice at the top.”
Warren is facing off against nine other candidates in the first 2020 presidential debate Wednesday night, amid growing furor over the treatment of migrant children.
Warren and Sen. Amy Klobuchar both paid visits on Wednesday afternoon to a migrant detention center at Homestead, Fla., about 30 miles from the Miami debate location. Several other candidates are expected to pay a visit later in the week.
The 20-candidate field was split randomly into two groups, with the second group debating on Thursday night. Four of the five top contenders — Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Sen. Kamala Harris — will debate on the second night.
On the first night, Warren is debating Sen. Cory Booker, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Klobuchar, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Gov. Jay Inslee, Rep. Tim Ryan, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former Rep. John Delaney, and Mayor Bill de Blasio. Warren is polling third nationally, behind only Biden and Sanders, while several of the lesser known contenders are polling at less than 1 percent. They will be looking for a viral moment to break out of the pack.
The debate is being carried on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo. The moderators are Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Jose Diaz Balart, Rachel Maddow and Chuck Todd.
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