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One chart that shows Bernie Sanders dominated the Democratic debate

Libby Nelson is Vox's policy editor, leading coverage of how government action and inaction shape American life. Libby has more than a decade of policy journalism experience, including at Inside Higher Ed and Politico. She joined Vox in 2014.

Bernie Sanders dominated the fourth Democratic debate on Sunday night — and the speaking time shows it.

For the first time, he spoke more than frontrunner Hillary Clinton, with 30 minutes of speaking time to Clinton's 27 minutes:

Javier Zarracina/Vox

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley came in a distant third, which isn't likely to help a candidate who began his remarks Sunday night by reminding the audience of his name.

Sanders's increased speaking time came as he's climbing in the polls and appearing to pose a real threat to Clinton in the Iowa caucuses. Viewers who missed the past three Democratic debates and who tuned in for the first time saw in Sanders a sharper, more detailed, still combative candidate — and one who was getting a lot of airtime.

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