Which Candidates Got the Most Speaking Time in the Democratic Debate

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, former mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota had the most speaking time of the seven Democratic presidential candidates in the debate in Charleston, S.C., ahead of the South Carolina primary on Saturday.

Electability, foreign policy, gun control and racial justice were major topics during the debate. The candidates also sparred over Russian election interference, housing discrimination and each other’s legislative record.

Like last week’s debate, the night was more heated than usual. Mr. Bloomberg continued to come under fire for his billionaire status and treatment of women, and Mr. Sanders’s newfound position as clear front-runner made him a target as well. Almost every candidate criticized Mr. Sanders in the first 10 minutes of the debate, challenging his electability, health care plan and record on gun control.

The night took a turn toward the chaotic when, after Ms. Klobuchar challenged the math of Mr. Sanders’s “Medicare for all” plan, there was more than half a minute of sustained crosstalk among the candidates as they tried to interrupt to make their points.

The increasing threat of the spread of the coronavirus became a topic of debate for the first time, with candidates criticizing the Trump administration’s preparations for an outbreak and Mr. Biden referring to the Obama administration’s efforts to combat the Ebola virus.

Get full coverage of the Democratic presidential debate from The Times.