Speaking time at the Democratic debate mostly reflected the polls


It didn't seem easy to get a word in on the crowded Democratic debate stage. But in Detroit on Tuesday, the frontunners were able to shoulder their way through the melee, as speaking time mostly reflected the polls.
The center stage candidates, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), unsurprisingly got the most speaking time. Warren, who spoke for over 18 minutes total, edged out Sanders by 48 seconds, per The New York Times. Both of them were several minutes ahead of the next most talkative Democrat, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who is also their closest contender in the polls out of Tuesday's participants.
After Buttigieg's 14-plus minutes, things got a bit jumbled among the seven remaining candidates, all of whom spoke for more than eight minutes, but less than 11. The new guy, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, wasn't expected to get much time to talk, but the Times calculated that he actually finished with the fourth highest total, beating out former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas).
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Only former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper had less of an opportunity to get his points across than Marianne Williamson, but the author seemingly resonated with viewers, anyway. She appears to have won the Google search game, at least. Tim O'Donnell
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
September 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful north
The Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants