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11:28 p.m.
Matt Shuham: An interesting note as we wrap: Several candidates took the opportunity to make concrete policy statements tonight, most notably Julián Castro, who not only called for decriminalizing unauthorized entry into the country — therefore treating border crossers just like people who overstay their visas — but also got in a slick potshot at Beto O’Rourke for lacking the same focus on specifics, telling him “I think that you should do your homework on this issue.”
11:02 p.m.
David Kurtz: The modern process for selecting a president is almost 50 years old and no one has thought it was a good way to do it (don’t even get me started on Iowa and New Hampshire) in about 45 years. And yet here we remain.
10:54 p.m.
Kate Riga: In a surprising twist given the recent controversies, neither the moderators nor the candidates invoked Joe Biden tonight, even indirectly. It looks like the current frontrunner will be strictly confined to his own debate stage tomorrow night.
10:50 p.m.
Summer Concepcion: Meanwhile, Trump — who has made it clear that he couldn’t be more “bored” with the debate — is re-upping the creepy video he tweeted last Friday that mocks the idea of term limits.
10:44 p.m.
David Taintor: Marianne Williamson too.
10:42 p.m.
David Taintor: Andrew Yang has some thoughts. The longshot Democratic candidate, who will take the debate stage on Thursday, fired off a few tweets over the course of the debate. From “My Spanish is terrible” to “Lester Holt has a deep and resonant voice,” Yang couldn’t stay silent from the sidelines.