At last night’s Democratic debate, the candidates said one name more than any other: Obama.
The president’s name was invoked 21 times — and largely by Hillary Clinton. She referred to him 13 times, usually in a positive manner, talking about the things "President Obama and I" did. When Lincoln Chafee questioned her judgment because she voted for the Iraq War, she said, "I recall very well being on a debate stage, I think, about 25 times with then-Senator Obama, debating this very issue. After the election, he asked me to become secretary of state."
Here's a breakdown of how often each candidate said Obama's name:
Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders and Jim Webb referred to Obama twice, Martin O’Malley referred to him three times, and Chafee did once. Words like "admiration," "affection," and "support" were thrown around, but Clinton drove home the point that she worked, arm in arm, with the sitting president, who is very popular among Democrats. (Recent polls show Obama’s approval rating at about 85 percent among Democrats.)
Opponents said Sanders’s name 11 times last night — the most of anyone standing onstage. Clinton said his name five times, including once to criticize Sanders on voting against the Brady bill, a law requiring background checks on gun purchasers.
Opponents said Clinton's name eight times last night, mostly to attack her record.
Webb and O’Malley heard their names a few times from their opponents, but no one onstage muttered Chafee’s name even once. You probably already knew this, but that's a bad thing.
Here's the breakdown on how many times the candidates mentioned their opponents, as well as Obama, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump.
