Washington, D.C. – DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement today in response to the first Democratic Debate in Las Vegas:

“I congratulate all of our Democratic candidates for President, for the American people are surely the winners of last night's debate.  On that stage, they saw and heard from our party's candidates, one of whom will go on to be the 45th President of the United States, based on the substance of their policies and their vision for moving our nation forward.
 
“In just two and a half hours of debate, our Democratic candidates covered more serious topics and bold ideas than the GOP candidates could muster in nearly 10 hours of debate. By a long shot.
 
“The contrast between each party's candidates, values and policies was demonstrated in stark terms last night. Our candidates laid out their vision for continuing our economic progress through increasing the minimum wage and ensuring equal pay for women and made clear their priorities for our future through their support for combatting climate change, enacting gun violence prevention measures, making college more affordable and fixing our broken immigration system.
 
“The Republicans have and will likely continue to treat their debates like a reality TV show, continuing to snipe at one another, showcasing their divisive and offensive policies– policies that would take away access to health care and kick immigrants out of our country; and roll back progress for middle class families and hardworking Americans by enacting the same old, tired trickle-down economics that preceded an economic collapse and failed in the past.
 
“I'm thrilled that this debate set a record for the most watched Democratic debate in history and proud of our candidates for their commitment to a substantive debate that drew a clear contrast for voters on the choice they will have in the 2016 general election.
 
“Thank you to CNN, Facebook, the Nevada Democratic Party and the incredible, unionized staff of the Wynn hotel for helping put on an incredible, record-setting debate for our candidates and for the American people. As we move forward into the 2016 cycle, I look forward to our future debates and additional events and opportunities for our candidates to get their message out and connect with voters.”