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Voters React To The Democratic Presidential Primary Debate

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We've been asking what voters thought of the debate, including 31-year-old Jay Benedict (ph) of Kansas who was a Bernie Sanders supporter and now describes himself as a Pete Buttigieg fanboy.

JAY BENEDICT: I thought when Buttigieg and Tulsi Gabbard squared off on the best way to deal with what's happening in Syria and the Middle East, I thought Pete Buttigieg did a very good job there with bringing the honor and respect back to the U.S. military.

INSKEEP: Benedict still likes Bernie and says he appreciates Joe Biden but...

BENEDICT: I think it's time to pass the torch to one of these younger candidates, and I hope that's something that other Democrats can get on board with, too.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Fifty-year-old Andrea Jackson (ph) of Pittsburgh says her candidate is Kamala Harris.

ANDREA JACKSON: The women's rights that she mentioned, that's very important to me. That's why Harris stood out for me because she had a passion that I didn't really see in others.

MARTIN: Fifty-five-year-old Les Rodriguez (ph) of Jacksonville, Fla., also likes Harris but is intrigued by Julian Castro.

LES RODRIGUEZ: I think that Mr. Julian comes across as someone who is very genuine, who is very, very smart and someone who is currently under the radar.

MARTIN: Under the radar may not be a sustainable position much longer. The candidates must score higher in polls to qualify for the next debate in November. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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