Candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination took to the debate stage for the fifth time Wednesday night. There weren't any groundbreaking or game-changing moments, but here are five things that stood out:
1. Impeachment hearings may have taken some steam out of the debate
Let's face it: The biggest story of Wednesday was not the debate, it was the impeachment testimony of Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union.
And you have to wonder if that had some effect on the energy in the debate and the willingness of the candidates to go after one other. For the first 90 minutes of the two-hour debate, it was a fairly staid affair. That changed when the subject turned to race.
2. Buttigieg held up to criticism
The story going into Wednesday's debate, as far as the Democratic presidential field was concerned, was the rise of South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg is surging in early state polls in Iowa and New Hampshire. Could Pete take the heat? For the most part, he did.
Early on, the candidates didn't go after him, but eventually Buttigieg had to answer questions about his record on race relations in South Bend and his depth of experience. Buttigieg was able to parry both, showing humility on race and questioning the value of "Washington experience."
"There's more than 100 years of Washington experience on this stage," said Buttigieg, "and where are we right now as a country?"
