None of the candidates appeared eager to play the role of intra-party aggressor, preferring instead to use their national television time to tout their own readiness for office and make the case for why they are best suited to defeat Trump.
Democrats face internal dissension at a time when they need to focus on beating Donald Trump.
“I want to see massive change. I worry about my daughter’s future — she’s 6. But I’m also practical about what the American people can stomach. We have to beat Trump.”
For two decades, Iowa has had a solid record of backing the ultimate Democratic nominee. A clear victory in its caucuses next month could set the tone for the races that follow in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
“It’s an indication of what’s to come and the excitement we are seeing from the grassroots.”
Ironies abound at the outset of the Democratic primary.
Presidential politics move fast. What we’re watching heading into a new week on the 2020 campaign: ___ Days to Iowa caucuses: 28 Days to general
“We need somebody at the top who can lead from the White House, someone who’s willing to unite not just Democrats but the country.”
His sagging poll numbers never budged. Early on, he was often eclipsed by another Texan in the race who dropped out this fall, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, and another young former mayor, Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana.
If Iowa’s rightward swing has stalled, it could be a foreboding sign for Trump in other upper Midwestern states he carried by much smaller margins and would need to win again.