Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren led Wednesday night's Democratic debate in speaking time for the second debate in a row. Warren spoke for 13:54 minutes over the course of approximately 2 1/2 hours.
Former Vice President Joe Biden had the second-highest speaking time, clocking in at 12:57 minutes. As public impeachment hearings play out in Washington, Biden championed his candidacy on the debate stage in Atlanta as being the best matchup against President Donald Trump.
Following a recent surge in Iowa polls, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg ranked third in speaking time overall at 12:25 minutes.
Wednesday's debate was fifth of the 2019 Democratic primary season and the first to be moderated by an all-woman panel of moderators. As for the women on the stage – California Sen. Kamala Harris came in fifth in speaking time at 11:33 minutes; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar came in sixth at 10:40 minutes; and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii came in eighth with 9:20 minutes of speaking time.
So what did Warren fill her speaking time with? CNBC has details:
Elizabeth Warren took every chance early in Wednesday’s Democratic debate to promote a wealth tax — her signature 2020 campaign plan that has led to sparring with titans of the business world.
Asked about what she would do to unite the country, the Massachusetts senator pointed to her proposals to hike taxes on the richest Americans. She described them as part of a push to “build an America that works for the people, not just one that works for rich folks.”
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The senator aims to fund sweeping social programs through new taxes on wealth, corporations and the financial industry. A 2% tax would apply to wealth between $50 million and $1 billion, while net worth above $1 billion would face a 6% levy.