Elizabeth Warren Plays It Safe At Third Democratic Debate

Elizabeth Warren was the story of the first two Democratic debates she was in. In June, she was deemed the winner by many. In July, she provided the most memorable moment in the form of a viral haymaker.

On Thursday night, Warren didn't do either — and she really didn't have to. After a steady, unrelenting rise in the polls to get within breathing distance of leader Joe Biden, the senator from Massachusetts was content being what she has become: one of the top frontrunners in the race, not needing to bring anyone down or hit a knockout blow.

Biden and Warren were 1-2 in speaking time, according to The Washington Post, but the much anticipated Warren-Biden pairing was a bit of a dud. Biden started the evening by going at Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders on health care, but Warren didn't get sucked into it.

Warren and Biden rarely crossed paths in a meaningful way after that. Biden had to pivot to fending off bottom-tier candidates the rest of the evening.

Warren did get some indirect pushback from some of the more moderate candidates, but she stayed out of the bickering and one-liners that peppered the evening. Instead, she was more than content to talk policy and income inequality, trying to connect by mentioning her time as a public school teacher who struggled with child care.

That strategy seemed to help elevate Warren as one of the night's quiet but clear winners, according to several media outlets. Others thought she missed an opportunity to claw into Biden after getting so close to him.

She might not have won many headlines, but she didn't lose any of the momentum she has gathered over her impressive summer run.