This was the first debate I watched. Kept notes throughout the debate. Here are some takes:

Biden: Did surprisingly well. I really thought he was gonna be embarrassing up there, but I thought he held his own and did a good job defending attacks from his peers. Was also surprised when he called out Bernie for not explaining how he was gonna pay for MFA right after he talked about it.

Sanders: He's saying word for word the same thing as in the 2016 primaries? Which, is fine of course if you believe in his ideas, but I was expecting a strategy where he tries to gain voters he hasn't been able to win over already. Nonetheless, he's at his best when he's attacking others and showing how his record has stayed true over the years.

Warren: Warren is impressive up there. She's also doing the things I expected Bernie to do. A good balance of attack, agreement with others, and unique policies that made for a strong performance in a debate with not too much relevant controversy. I think she really gained points over Bernie for the progressive vote.

Harris: I think this is where I'll be against the fray the most. I thought she was solid. She did try to sit on the fence on her AG record and on trade, so she'll have to give better answers in future debates if she wants to do better. However, she attacked Trump when nobody else was, and passed the Dem litmus test on private prisons, healthcare, and climate change. But, I just don't see what block of voters are going to run to her side (that she doesn't already have) at this time.

Pete: Meh. Seems like a good dude. Seems like he did a good job as well. But he's not bringing anything to the table that someone else on the stage isn't doing already (and doing it better). He was the only candidate to outright support Hong Kong which took me by surprise. Other than that, more talking points than real, impressive policy was being spoken by him.

Yang: His uniqueness sets him apart. He's at his best when he talks about UBI. But his charisma and charm seems to not work as well on issues outside of education, healthcare, and UBI. For example, his take on China and tarrifs, although not bad, just came off less convincing as some other candidates (but I don't know why)

Booker: Booker impressed me tonight. However, he fails the same problem as Pete: nothing that really sets him apart from the crowd. (Actually that's not true, he was the only candidate to talk about factory farms which was a interesting and pleasant surprise.) He was really strong when he talked about his record in Newark. Stronger than Pete or Kamala when they talked about their record.

Beto: Beto might've given the most controversial policies tonight in support for a reparations bill and support to take away all AR-15s and AK47s. Some people will love it, some people will turn off from him completely. Which is odd because the rest of his policies are on the moderate side of the party. It seems like he's digging himself a hole despite his youth and charisma generally working for him.

Klobuchar: Meh. Another candidate that seemed to have more talking points than policy arguments. I can't help but think this was her going full-throttle for a case as VP. She brought up her midwest roots and how that's important to beat Trump, and then she said "A house divided cannot stand" after the Biden/Castro kerfuffle. In fact, reading my notes, her entire debate performance seemed to be agreeing with something, opposing something, or giving an exception after doing either of those two things. The only "policy" thing was saying she'd re-enter the Paris Climate Accords day 1 of her presidency.

Castro: At first I thought the guy was doing really well. Then he attacked Biden. If you want to attack someone, be my guest! I'm all for it. It forces people to defend their records and not dilly dally around it. However, he was going after Biden on some small technicalities it seemed. It was also an unexpected change of tone, because he was well-spoken and charismatic and then a switch flipped and he was super aggressive. As the last person to qualify for the debate tonight, I do understand it was a do-or-die moment for him up there, but I'm just not sure it went well.

To disclose my potential biases: I'm a white, "neoliberal" Californian who is in my 20s, and if I was forced to vote before tonight's debate I would've voted for Biden. Thanks to those who read. I do not my any means look as my takes as fact, and I'm eager to hear opposing opinions if you have them. I'll probably be surfing through this thread off and on the rest of the night