Political expert shares thoughts on January Democratic presidential debate

SOUTH BEND, Ind.—Local political expert Jack Colwell was live in ABC57 studios on Wednesday morning to share his thoughts on Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential debate.

January’s Democratic presidential debate marked the final on-stage meeting for former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and businessman Tom Steyer before the Iowa caucuses on February 3.

Colwell thinks that Buttigieg deserves a “B” for his performance at Tuesday night's debate.

“I don’t think anyone got an A. There was no big winner in my view and there was no big loser either,” Colwell said. “He [Buttigieg] was careful. They were all careful.”

As for Biden, Colwell thinks he’s still the front runner but ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Colwell believes all of the candidates have a shot at the nomination.

Colwell said one of the most memorable moments has to do with not what was said, but what viewers saw.

“A lot of the focus is on after the debate when Elizabeth Warren just declined to shake hands with Bernie Sanders,” Colwell said, referring to the on-stage showdown between the two senators over a private conversation in which Warren accused Sanders of saying a woman could not win the presidency in 2020. Sanders has denied that he ever said that.