The five Democratic presidential candidates took the stage for the first time in Las Vegas, Nevada, Tuesday night to debate several issues, including the nation’s higher education system.
During the candidates’ opening statements, both Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley addressed problems plaguing higher education across the country.
O’Malley later reiterated his support for higher education reform when asked to comment on former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton’s email scandal.
When asked about Pres. Barack Obama’s responses to income inequality, Sanders said the minimum wage should be raised to $15 an hour and all colleges and universities should be tuition-free. Both O’Malley and Clinton said they support states giving in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants.
Clinton and Sanders both spoke on higher education later in the debate. Sanders said every student, including those from wealthy families, would be able to go to college without paying tuition under his administration. Clinton said her plan would work to reduce the cost of higher education and help students refinance their loans.
“My plan would enable anyone to go to a public college or university tuition-free, but…I think it’s important for everybody to have some part in getting this accomplished,” Clinton said. “I would like students to work 10 hours a week in order to make it possible to afford their education, and I want colleges to get their costs down.”
Other issues discussed included threats to national security and race relations. One of the video questions submitted by the public asked the candidates if “black lives matter” or if “all lives matter.” All candidates answered that “black lives matter.”
The candidates previously discussed the violence in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray, as well as other recent race issues.
“As a president of the United States, every life in this country matters,” said former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb. “At the same time, I believe I can say to you I have had a long history of working to better the situation of African-Americans.”
Moderator Anderson Cooper also asked the candidates what they believed to be America’s greatest security issue.
Webb said cyber-attacks posed the greatest threat, while former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee answered with the conflicts in the Middle East.
Sanders said climate change was the most pressing problem. Clinton and O’Malley both answered the spread of nuclear capabilities, though O’Malley mentioned climate change exacerbated other issues.
“The scientific community is telling us that if we do not address the global crisis of climate change, transform our energy away from fossil fuel to sustainable energy, the planet that we are going to be leaving our kids and our grandchildren will not be habitable,” Sanders said.
