Occasionally, cheers, laughter and a sprinkling of jeers — mainly aimed at Republicans — could be heard during at least one local debate watch party Wednesday night.
A few dozen people gathered at Clark College’s Foster Auditorium to watch the first of two Democratic presidential debates. The watch party was organized by John Oberg, a precinct committee officer with Clark County Democrats.
“I think it’s been really positive,” Oberg said during a commercial break. “The fact is that this is the first time we’ve seen these candidates together.”
One of those candidates, a familiar face for Clark County voters, was Gov. Jay Inslee. The local crowd appeared receptive to Inslee, cheering for a few of his statements, though not significantly more than for other candidates.
Candidates took several shots at President Donald Trump, many of which were jokes at his expense. Inslee was especially prone to jabbing Trump, including calling him the country’s biggest geopolitical threat and joking about the president’s statement about wind turbines causing cancer.
The strategy often worked for the crowd, some of whom brought balloons depicting Trump as a baby. Other than when candidates interrupted each other or the moderators, the otherwise attentive audience reacted most strongly in favor of insults against the president.
A few policy points drew applause as well, including former Housing Secretary Julian Castro’s support of the Equal Rights Amendment.
“One of the things that’s really exciting is that people were cheering for ideas presented over and above a single candidate,” Oberg said.
A few “boos’ were directed toward Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who incorrectly said during the debate that the Taliban carried out attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Considering the array of reactions, one woman in attendance, albeit sarcastically, summarized the mood when NBC played dramatic music at the end of a commercial break.
“The fight is on!” she yelled.
