VOTE: Something in the Water at the Flint Democratic Debate

Flint, Michigan–a city that has been rocked in recent years by economic turmoil, a crime wave and most recently a contaminated water epidemic that has threatened the health of thousands was center stage in the 2016 campaign Sunday night. The Republicans were in town to debate on Thursday, and what ensued that evening seemed oftentimes more of an insult comic audition rather than a presidential debate. Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, known for having comparatively subdued debates this election cycle, spent most of their talking time reiterating the central themes of their campaigns and reaching out to valuable demographic groups.

The two candidates fielded tough questions from CNN moderators Anderson cooper and Don Lemon. Bernie Sanders touched on a personal note when asked by Anderson Cooper about why he didn’t talk more openly on the campaign trail about his Jewish heritage. “I am very proud to be Jewish, and being Jewish is so much of who I am. Look, my father’s family was wiped out by the Nazis… I’m very proud of being Jewish and that is an essential part of who I am as a human being” he said last night, in probably the most heartfelt moment of the night. On the other hand, Clinton’s big moment of the night came when she attacked Senator Sanders for his voting against the 2008 auto industry bailout. “When it came down to it, you were either for saving the auto industry or you were against it,” she said, to applause. “I voted to save the auto industry. If everyone had voted as he did, I believe the auto industry would have collapsed, taking 4 million jobs with it.”Another testy moment happened when Clinton interrupted one of Sanders responses, prompting Sanders to strike back saying “Excuse me, I’m talking.” After receiving criticism for sounding condescending, Sanders lamented that he was rudely interrupted by Clinton, who has routinely gotten more talking time than him in the debates.

With much of the recent debate attention focusing on the Republican side, the Democratic debates have rarely seemed to produce the same amount of attention and impact. If the Sanders campaign was hoping the Flint debate would provide their candidate with some much-needed momentum, they were likely disappointed with on what many pundits called a good night for Clinton. She had a strong defense of her record in Congress and as Secretary of State, while Sanders seemed to be ineffective in his answers regarding gun control and issues relating to minorities–which have been key to Hillary Clinton’s primary success in the south. Only time will tell if Sanders can succeed in this David vs. Goliath matchup with the Clinton political machine but signs are not looking up for the Vermont Senator.