The audience gasped and groaned. Candidate tempers flared. And new rivalries suddenly took hold.
And that was just in the first few minutes of the debate.
The six presidential contenders at Wednesday's Democratic debate in Las Vegas attacked one another with more frequency and more ferocity than in all previous eighth debates combined, as the primary enters a critical phase just days before the Nevada caucuses on Saturday.
The tone was unlike anything seen in a previous Democratic debate this cycle, with candidates talking over one another, flashing rare anger, and launching at-times deeply personal criticisms. More than once, the moderators appeared to lose control of the debate, with all of the Democrats on stage talking at once as they tried to make their point over one another.
By far the most frequent target was Michael Bloomberg, who was criticized brutally on everything from nondisclosure agreements signed by former employees to past support of former President George W. Bush. Bloomberg was making his first appearance on the debate stage, and every one of his rivals appeared eager to finally confront the former New York City mayor, who is spending hundreds of millions of his own dollars on an unconventional campaign that is skipping the first four contests.
Here are 5 takeaways from the debate:
_ BLOOMBERG IN THE BARREL
Everyone knew it was coming. And yet despite extensive preparations, Bloomberg appeared flat-footed when attacked _ over and over and over _ by his rivals.
The critiques of Bloomberg's mayoral record, allegations of sexism in his financial information company and failure to disclose his tax returns are not new. But for the first time, Bloomberg was forced to respond to his opponents on national TV. And the lack of debate seasoning showed.
The multibillionaire, who is steadily rising in the national polls, struggled to respond when pressed on the controversial "stop-and-frisk" policy he employed to fight crime in New York. After noting he'd apologized for it, Bloomberg added testily, "If we took off everyone off this panel who was wrong on criminal justice at some time in their careers there would be nobody up here."
Bloomberg also was party to an excruciating exchange over whether he would release former employees from nondisclosure agreements so they could discuss sexual harassment allegations at his company. Bloomberg stood firm in his resistance.
"None of them accused me of doing anything, other than maybe they didn't like a joke I told," he said at one point, to audible gasps and scattered boos. He also pointed out that he has hired many women for senior positions at his company, foundation and City Hall.
"I hope you heard what his defense was: 'I've been nice to some women,'" said Elizabeth Warren, Bloomberg's chief tormenter all night. "That just doesn't cut it."
Bloomberg managed to regain his footing in the second hour of the debate, as the discussion turned towards foreign affairs, climate change and the economy. "I'm the only one here that's ever started a business. Is that fair?" He asked when the subject of jobs came up. The other five candidates remained silent. "OK."
_ WARREN DITCHES THE UNITER FOR THE FIERY FIGHTER
Warren's supporters have complained the media has unfairly erased her from coverage of the primary. She made sure that wouldn't happen in the Vegas aftermath.
Facing what perhaps could be her final shot at a comeback in Saturday's caucuses, the Massachusetts senator turned out her most fiery performance yet, leaving no salvo left unsaid.
She trained her most biting rhetoric on Bloomberg, a fitting foil who in many ways is a tribune to what her entire campaign is fighting.
"I'd like to talk about who we're running against," Warren said at the top of her feisty evening. "A billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians _ and no I'm not talking about Donald Trump. I'm talking about Mayor Bloomberg."
She was just getting started. She swiped the former New York City mayor for blaming blacks and Latinos for the housing crisis. She dismissed his apology for his stop-and-frisk policy as insufficient. And she called on him to release his former female employees from their nondisclosure agreements.
Standing just feet away next to her, Bloomberg often looked unprepared. Perhaps due to rustiness, his line of defense failed to match Warren's punch.
Warren also took pointed shots at Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, questioning the depth of their health care plans. But it was clear from the starting gun that Boomberg was the main object of her ire.
What's immediately unclear is if her concerted set of attacks on Bloomberg will be of any benefit to her, or provide a lift to one of her moderate rivals.
_ A NEW RIVALRY BEGINS
The top two finishers in Iowa and New Hampshire collided with each other on stage, arguing over health care plans, the rhetoric of online supporters, and whether they truly represent the average voter.
It was the first major showdown during a debate between Buttigieg and Sanders, and it felt personal _ if not surprising _ among the candidates who have collected the most delegates so far this primary.
The most spirited exchange occurred when Buttigieg criticized Sanders for the sharp tone of his online supporters.
"At a certain point, you gotta ask yourself, why did this pattern arise? Why is it especially the case among your supporters ..."
"I don't think it's especially the case," Sanders retorted.
"Well, that's just not true," Buttigieg snapped back.
At another time, the two men sparred over who better represents the average Joe, Buttigieg said he had been funded by hundreds of thousands of contributors.
"Including 46 billionaires," Sanders interjected.
The more moderate Buttigieg and demoratic socialist Sanders attract a very different kind of voters, and so the two men had little reason before Wednesday night to criticize each other. But Buttigieg appeared intent on making sure Sanders didn't go unchallenged, possibly out of concern that the Democratic front-runner would continue to climb in the polls unless confronted. (Though it's unclear if he managed to enough of a blow to slow Sanders' momentum.)
Buttigieg, however, himself was the recipient of other criticisms on the night, most notably from Klobuchar.
The Minnesota senator accused Buttigieg of a low blow after he criticized her for forgetting the name of the Mexican president during a recent interview.
"Are you saying I'm dumb?" she asked Buttigieg.
Later, responding to more criticism from Buttigieg, she responded, "I wish everyone was as perfect as you, Pete."
_ SANDERS SURVIVES THE FOOD FIGHT
Bloomberg, the billionaire, and Sanders, the democratic socialist, may hold diametrically opposite world views.
But the presence of Bloomberg on the stage was at least a temporary blessing to Sanders, since it was the new guy who incurred the most incoming fire.
Sanders was forced to defend his health as well as his health care plan, and Bloomberg left a mark on him by noting that capitalism helped create his personal wealth and ability to own multiple houses.
But none of Sanders' rivals made the kind of concerted, compelling case against him that is required to take down a front-runner, who holds polling advantages in Nevada and nationally.
And neither of the other three moderates, Joe Biden, Buttigieg or Klobuchar, put together a breakout moment that would likely quickly consolidate an anti-Sanders coalition.
Even Warren, who dissembled Bloomberg and brushed back Buttigieg and Klobuchar, left Sanders unscathed.
_ BIDEN'S GETTING HIS SEA LEGS _ BUT IS IT TOO LATE?
Biden remained in the background during the night's most fiery exchanges. He did, however, show more flashes of the charm and crisp one-liners he's been known for in his career, but has largely lacked in the previous debates.
In Wednesday's opening exchange on electability, Biden pointed to a new poll that shows him with the biggest lead on President Donald Trump in key swing states. "I'm better positioned, according to your poll, than anybody else to beat Donald Trump," he noted.
And when Warren, Sanders, Buttigieg and Klobuchar bickered over their health care plans, Biden interjected with a smile: "Hey, I'm the only one on this stage that actually got anything done on health care, OK?" he said to applause. The question for Biden, after finishing fourth and fifth in the first two Democratic contests, is whether it's too late to regain momentum.
