John Delaney Gets Into Verbal Boxing Match At Presidential Debate

ROCKVILLE, MD — Little-known former Maryland Rep. John Delaney has been itching for more air time during the Democratic primary presidential debates. And that's exactly what he got after winding up in a verbal boxing match with two top-tier progressive candidates on Night 1 of CNN's primary debates.

Barely breaking 1 percent in the polls, Delaney clashed with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on hot-button issues Tuesday — which gave him some badly needed media attention among the crowded Democratic field of presidential candidates.

Lots of voters don't know this, but the former Maryland congressman was the first Democrat to announce for president, back in July 2017. His platform includes fostering business and technology, strengthening the social safety net, and investing in infrastructure, along with reforming education, health care, and immigration.

During Tuesday's televised debate Delaney had more than 10 minutes of talking time. While it's not as much air time as other opponents had, some experts say Delaney got more than he deserved.

"In the history of debates," former Barack Obama administration official Dan Pfeiffer tweeted, "no candidate polling this poorly has gotten as much time as John Delaney."

One of the most memorable (and viral) moments of the night happened when Delaney criticized Warren and Sanders' progressive policies, calling them unachievable goals and a possible turn-off to moderate voters.

"So, I think Democrats win when we run on real solutions, not impossible promises. When we run on things that are workable, not fairytale economics," he said.

That's when Warren landed a haymaker.

"I don't understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can't do and shouldn't fight for," she said, eliciting a round of applause.

Yes, Delaney got some screen time and stuck to his guns. But, according to some political pundits, it's never good to be on the wrong side of the biggest viral smackdown of the night.

For example, you will be the butt of late-night television jokes.

"Woah. Boom! Stay down, Delaney," Late Show host Stephen Colbert said, referencing the slap-down. "Come on, stay down, Delaney. You're bleeding out. You're blind in one eye."

Trevor Noah, host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, also chimed in on the testy exchange.

"Ooh, Warren got Delaney there. She got a good point. Running for president is about shooting for the moon. When Trump ran for president, he didn't run with incremental ideas. He was like, 'build a wall! Another country will pay for it,'" Noah said. "Obama was like, 'we can!' He wasn't like, 'oh we'll see — we'll try.' We can. But some of these candidates tonight are like, 'let's make America 8.5 percent better than it was yesterday.'"

Though several late night hosts and political pundits took turns criticizing Delaney, others say he still left the debate as a winner.

"Before this debate, no one knew who Delaney was or what he believed. If you watched this debate, both of those questions were answered," CNN Editor-At-Large Chris Cillizza said. "That doesn't mean you necessarily loved Delaney, as he quite clearly embraced a moderate view on almost everything. But Delaney's repeated clashes with Sanders and Warren were a win for the former Maryland congressman in the very fact that they existed. Yes, Warren dunked on Delaney over what she insisted was his emphasis on what Democrats can't or shouldn't do, but all in all, this was a very good debate for him."

Vox published a list of winners and losers. Delaney was one of the candidates to come out on top.

"This might be the only time that John Delaney finds himself on one of these lists, in either the winner or loser category, so he should savor it," Vox said.

After Tuesday's debate, Delaney also saw a 20-fold increase in donor rate, The Hill reports.

"John put the pedal to the metal last night in the Motor City and the engine was revving online," said campaign manager John Davis, according to the news outlet. "As John said, this primary is about a choice between extreme policies that aren't popular and real solutions that can also get done."

Delaney was one of 20 candidates to qualify for the 2020 primary debates, a two-day event hosted by CNN. Ten candidates will be taking center stage on Wednesday. They are:

• Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet
• Former Vice President Joe Biden
• New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
• Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro
• New York Mayor Bill de Blasio
• Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
• New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
• California Sen. Kamala Harris
• Washington Gov. Jay Inslee
• Businessman Andrew Yang

SEE ALSO:

• Politicos, Comics Grade John Delaney's Democratic Debate Showing
• Maryland's John Delaney Qualifies For Second Presidential Debate