Visualization from Plotmapper.com. These are the top 15 words not including candidate names or boring words.
The plotmap shows the overall trajectory of the debate, starting with the first quarter (the circle with a 1 in it, slightly obscured) and ending with the fourth (circle with a 4 in it), where the words closest to each segment are the terms most prevalent at that stage of the debate. Note how the debate begins in healthcare, moves into segments on trade, immigration and guns (which also involve more references to Trump, and also Obama), then onto foreign policy and war, and finishes with education. Note also that "pay," one of the few explicitly economic terms and a point of contention between the center and left, recurs in both the healthcare and education segments.
Dynamic visualization of the four major candidates
The following visualization is entirely computer-generated, using similar methods to the Plotmap.
In the dynamic visualization below, each candidate is a different circle moving through a space of the most common nouns as the debate progresses.
When the candidate speaks, their circle turns dark, and if they use one of the shown words, those words light up in that color.
If a candidate refers to another by name (without saying they agree) then a brief arrow of "attack" appears between the two points.
Candidate colors are Biden, Warren, Sanders and Harris. Note that all the other candidates and moderators are not shown.
