Joe Biden, Incumbent

Last night’s Democratic debate was a microcosm of the Democratic presidential primary: A hotly anticipated confrontation between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders mostly fizzled. Tom Steyer said some weird stuff. Pete Buttigieg struggled to speak about race. The commentariat was impressed with Amy Klobuchar, but voters shrugged. And at the end of the night, there was Joe Biden: underwhelming, maybe, but still standing at the head of the field.

The debate was the last prepackaged occasion for the contenders to make a big splash before Iowans caucus on February 3. Much can—but time is running out, and three of the hopefuls will likely be absorbed by the impending Senate impeachment trial of the president they seek to replace. No one really seized the opportunity, giving Biden a sort of win by default. That follows Biden’s months-long pattern of failing to fail. Whether out of opposition to his politics or a desire for excitement, some Democrats and many pundits have expected Biden to collapse, but by the end of the debate, a resigned sense of Biden inevitability had .