Super Civics 2020: The Fourth Democratic Debate

The Fourth Democratic Debate Heats the Competition Up

In the fourth Democratic presidential debate October 15 – the largest in U.S. history – a dozen candidates outlined their positions on health care, gun control, impeachment and taxes. The current front runner in the polls, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, was a target, as other candidates vied for attention. The latest George Washington University poll shows Warren (28%) in front of Sen. Bernie Sanders (21%) and former Vice President Joe Biden (18%). Watch the video, read the summary and the AP Fact Check story and answer the discussion questions. The full debate can be seen here.

Read AP FACT CHECK: Do candidates’ claims in the Democratic debate hold up? Ask students: Do you think fact-checking articles and organizations (Politifact, etc.) are necessary? Explain.

Democratic Debate Discussion Questions

1) Essential question: What is the purpose of Democratic presidential debates?

2) What does the large number of Democratic candidates running for president say about the political process?

3) What issues were debated? What issues were missing? Why do you think this was the case?

4) Why did several of the candidates direct their arguments at Elizabeth Warren?

5) Who had a strong debate performance? Who was weak? Explain.

6) Media literacy: Read NewsHour’s Five Takeaways from the Democratic Debate. What parts of the analysis do you agree with? Disagree with? 

This article was originally published by PBS NewsHour Extra and can be viewed here.