12 Democrats face off in battleground state during fourth debate

WESTERVILLE, Ohio—Twelve Democrats faced off in a crucial debate in the battleground state of Ohio on Tuesday night.

Ohio voters say that the debate could reshape the 2020 presidential nomination.

For many candidates on stage Tuesday night at Otterbein University, it was their first opportunity to address the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

"This President, and I agree with Senator Sanders, is the most corrupt president in modern history and I think in all of our history," Biden said, going on to add that Congress has no choice but to impeach Trump.

With Trump’s focus on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, the discussion placed Biden in the hot seat during the debate.

“Look, my son’s statement speaks for itself. I did my job; I never discussed a single thing with my son about anything having to do with Ukraine. No one has indicated that I have. We’ve always kept everything separate, even when my son was the Attorney General of the state of Delaware, we never discussed anything. So there’d be no potential conflict,” Biden said on Tuesday night.

Candidates continued to circle back to the topic of Trump, all agreeing on the movement to impeach the sitting president.

Health care and gun reform were once again big topics on stage, with multiple candidates taking jabs at Senator Elizabeth Warren over her “Medicare-For-All” plan.

"Medicare for all is the gold standard, it's the way we get health care for every single American," Warren said.

"I don't understand why you believe the only way to deliver affordable coverage to everybody is to obliterate private plans," said Mayor Pete Buttigieg in response to Warren. 

Buttigieg and former Congressman Beto O’Rourke sparred over a proposed mandatory buy-back for all AR-15s and AK-47s.

"Listening to my fellow Americans, to those moms who demand action, to those students who march for our lives, who in fact came up with this extraordinary, bold peace plan that calls for mandatory buy-backs, let's follow their inspiration and lead and not be limited by polls and the consultants. It's time to do what's right," O'Rourke said.

“The problem isn’t the polls, the problem is the policy. And I don’t need lessons from you on courage, political or personal. Everyone on this stage is determined to get something done. Everyone on this stage recognizes or at least I thought we did, that the problem is not other Democrats who don’t agree with your particular idea of how to handle this,” Buttigieg said in response to O’Rourke.

Other key topics from Tuesday night’s debate include Trump’s withdrawal of U.S. troops in Syria, the threat of automation and job security for Americans.