The Atlantic

Elizabeth Warren’s Big Night

The senator’s plea that voters set aside their fears and back the candidate they believe in helped her stand out on a crowded stage.
Source: Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty

Updated on July 30 at 10:48 p.m. ET

Senator Bernie Sanders often positions himself as the political heir of Franklin D. Roosevelt, but tonight in Detroit, Senator Elizabeth Warren was the candidate who borrowed the 32nd president’s dictum that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Anxiety stalks the Democratic Party. From the grass roots to the candidates, the party is haunted by the specter of allowing President Donald Trump, whom they underestimated in 2016, to win a second term. For long portions of tonight’s debate, several of the candidates onstage warned that the

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Atlantic

The Atlantic3 min readDiscrimination & Race Relations
The Legacy of Charles V. Hamilton and Black Power
This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present and surface delightful treasures. Sign up here. This week, The New York Times published news of the death of Charles V. Hamilton, the
The Atlantic6 min read
The Happy Way to Drop Your Grievances
Want to stay current with Arthur’s writing? Sign up to get an email every time a new column comes out. In 15th-century Germany, there was an expression for a chronic complainer: Greiner, Zanner, which can be translated as “whiner-grumbler.” It was no
The Atlantic5 min readSocial History
The Pro-life Movement’s Not-So-Secret Plan for Trump
Sign up for The Decision, a newsletter featuring our 2024 election coverage. Donald Trump has made no secret of the fact that he regards his party’s position on reproductive rights as a political liability. He blamed the “abortion issue” for his part

Related Books & Audiobooks