Several lower-polling Democratic primary candidates received no speaking time for nearly the entire first half-hour of Wednesday’s debate.
Billionaire activist Tom Steyer, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and entrepreneur Andrew Yang were onstage but otherwise absent from the first questions directed at the candidates, including on the issue of the ongoing House impeachment inquiry.
{mosads}The first question directed at Gabbard came about 24 minutes into the debate and centered around her criticism of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party’s nominee in 2016. The question led to a fiery exchange with Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who also received little speaking time from moderators.
Steyer’s speaking time began at just about the 29-minute mark and was devoted to questions about his self-funded candidacy and whether he represented the so-called special interests against which other Democratic candidates have railed.
Yang’s speaking time started 32 minutes in, and in his remarks he thanked Steyer for spending millions to benefit organizations fighting climate change. He also faced a question from moderators about why he would be qualified to respond to major issues facing presidents, such as potential terror attacks.
Steyer and Yang both sat at less than two minutes of total speaking time at 9:35 p.m., according to a tracker operated by The New York Times. Gabbard sat at two minutes and 30 seconds, more than some higher-polling candidates, including former Vice President Joe Biden, thanks to the length of her exchange with Harris.