In opening debates, candidates seek to differentiate their brands

Courtesy NBC

MIAMI — Brands that offer similar goods or services in a crowded marketplace have to set themselves apart from their rivals to be competitive, like Pepsi and Coke or Uber and Lyft. It also happens in primaries, where candidates often hold similar positions on issues and compete for the same voters.

Heading into the first debate, Democrats had plenty of differentiating to do, especially considering a Monmouth poll released last week found all but three were polling in the single digits. There also happened to be 10 times as many candidates in Miami as there are leading cola brands or ride-sharing apps.

Some candidates touted proposed legislation to distinguish themselves from the rest of the field, like former Rep. John Delany of Maryland who said he introduced the only bipartisan carbon tax bill, and former HUD Secretary Julián Castro who said he was the only candidate who had put forward legislation to reform the policing system.

Others brought up their home cities. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio told Yello in the spin room he differentiated himself by making the case the party should rebrand, shifting its “center of gravity” from the coasts to places like Youngstown, Ohio. Sen. Cory Booker brought up living in Newark, N.J., to talk about his unique perspective on issues like gun violence and income inequality.

“I live in a low-income black and brown community,” Booker said. “I see every single day that this economy is not working for average Americans.”

One candidate who’s already set herself apart is Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Her policy-centric “Warren has a plan for that” has become enough of a well-known slogan that it was brought up by moderator Chuck Todd in a question about whether she has a plan to deal with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “I do,” she said.

Meanwhile, two other candidates most known for their policies barely got a word in. Former tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who backs universal basic income, spoke for just three minutes, less than any other candidate. And Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who made combating climate change the cornerstone of his candidacy, spoke for five minutes, less than anyone else Wednesday night.

When Inslee was asked the greatest geopolitical threat facing the U.S., he said President Trump — “no question about it” — missing a chance to bring up his top issue.

“He’s lying to the American people, that’s why,” Inslee told Yello when asked why he picked Trump over climate change. “He is the climate change problem.”

Sen. Kamala Harris of California entered the Thursday debate leading the middle of the pack and ended it as one of the top trending candidates on Google, behind just author Marianne Williamson, whose old tweets lit up politics Twitter.

After 38-year-old Rep. Eric Swalwell of California attempted to compare himself with former Vice President Biden, 76, by citing a speech Biden gave 32 years ago about passing the torch to a new generation, the stage erupted in crosstalk between the thirtysomething and septuagenarian candidates. Harris ended it with a zinger — “America does not want to witness a food fight, they want to know how we are going to put food on their table” — before pivoting to the economy and criticizing Trump.

When the topic of racial injustice came up, Harris interjected, telling a personal story of being the second class to integrate at her California school and hitting Biden for opposing busing for school integration. The ensuing exchange put Biden on the defense and ended with him cutting himself off.

“My time is up,” Biden said.

Before the end of the night, the Harris campaign was selling shirts for $29.99 referencing the moment, with a photo of Harris as a girl.

Harris branded herself a frontrunner, landing several of the debate’s most memorable moments and challenging Biden. In her closing remarks, she argued she was the candidate best suited “to prosecute the case against four more years of Donald Trump,” a top priority for Democratic voters over even agreeing on issues, per a Gallup poll out this week.

She even managed to include a specific call to action in her closing statement, the only candidate to do so, asking viewers to visit her website.

“I hope to earn your support, and please join us at kamalaharris.org,” she said.