There was a lot on the line this week for U.S. Democratic candidates, vying to get their platforms heard on a national stage.

Democratic rivals challenged each other on a number of policies from health care to immigration and criminal justice reform. The only thing the candidates seemed to agree on is their desire to defeat the current president.

To discuss all of this:

• Rasheeda Thomas is the principal and co-founder of RC Communications.
• Joel Rubin is a democratic strategist and the president of Washington Strategy Group.
• Merrill Matthews is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation.
• Rafael Bernal is a staff writer with the U.S. political newspaper, The Hill.

For more:

The next Democratic debates could be much smaller than the ones held this week. Our analysis shows only 10 to 12 candidates are now likely to make the 3rd round. If 10 or fewer qualify, the debate will take place on only one night. https://t.co/r7H8ATiL6g

— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 1, 2019

Barack Obama, silent in Democratic nominating contest, omnipresent in debate https://t.co/st4CoVS1vq pic.twitter.com/0Y350aMxPY

— Reuters (@Reuters) August 1, 2019

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders fought back against their moderate rivals in the Democratic debate on Tuesday #WSJWhatsNow pic.twitter.com/UkGi2CvRBJ

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 31, 2019