ANALYSIS: S.C. DEBATE WINNERS AND LOSERS

WINNERS

Elizabeth Warren: She picked up where she left off on Michael Bloomberg by pointing to his past support for Republicans including South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and the Massachusetts senator she beat in 2012, Scott Brown. She also again argued that Michael Bloomberg hadn’t sufficiently addressed treatment of women at his company and went after him for doing business in China.

She was perhaps less forceful with Sen. Bernie Sanders, instead saying she would be a better president and going after his supporters.

Joe Biden: He was again somewhat uneven Tuesday night. But he’s the leading candidate in South Carolina and is a player on Super Tuesday, and he seemed likely to continue to be after the debate. He also had some good moments, including in his appeals to black voters, which will be key on Saturday and Super Tuesday.

LOSERS

Sanders: Warren attacked Sanders for being ineffective. Pete Buttigieg said Russia is helping Sanders, according to U.S. intelligence, because he serves its purposes. Tom Steyer warned about having the government “take over the private sector.” Biden mentioned the shooting in a black Charleston church in 2015 and noted that Sanders voted against the Brady gun control bill five times, which prompted Sanders to acknowledge it was a mistake. Biden and Buttigieg later on ganged up on Sanders for citing good things authoritarian socialist regimes have done.

Bloomberg: He did little to make an affirmative case for himself, even on the electability front. And he offered mealy-mouthed rebuttals to some of the attacks on him, including by again downplaying women who complained about their treatment at his companies.