Drawing The Third Democratic Presidential Debate

A smaller crowd but still too big

The candidates who were onstage last night. I drew this from a NY Times photograph.

The field of candidates who are seeking the Democratic presidential nomination is getting smaller, but it’s still big. Last night in Houston, ten hopefuls — seven men and three women — took the stage to show off what they know. I live drew what I saw and heard, and the drawings are below.

The three hour debate covered almost everything, and was well organized. Some candidates seemed to get more time than others, but everyone got sufficient time. It was less of a scramble for sound bites and attention than previous free-for-all debates. At one point, the camera showed all the candidates standing behind their podiums waving their hands at the same time for the moderator’s attention. It was funny, I wish I had drawn it. Maybe I will.

But I did draw the most talked about moment in the evening.

Julian Castro challenged Biden, suggesting he had just forgotten what he’d said moments before. Castro repeated the question and it was a very awkward moment. It came across as mean. Several candidates rose to Biden’s defense (who had not forgotten anything). It was nasty ageism.