With just two candidates seated next to each other on stage, the evening assumed the role more of a convivial examination of shared values than the intense sparring that has marked the Democratic campaign in recent weeks.

It was, as the debate’s presenters never tired of saying, an historic occasion: a presidential debate featuring just two candidates, a woman and an African-American man. Nevertheless, there were barbs, and there were carefully articulated differences between the candidates, all designed to draw out the final voters on Tuesday. Clinton suffered when Iraq was brought up, but she was able to recover when one of her strongest cards came up, healthcare.

Experience loomed large, with Clinton facing tough questioning on her role in the White House. What experience as first lady qualifies you to be president of the US she was asked.

Clinton responded by talking about her 35 years as a lawyer and community activist, as well as outlining the foreign policy experience she accrued as first lady.

The debate covered what polls show to be critical issues for Democratic voters: healthcare, the war in Iraq, immigration reform and the economy. The candidates rehearsed previous disagreements over healthcare.
While Clinton was forced on to the defensive on Iraq issue, Obama was able to exploit his oratorical skill. “I don’t just want to end the war, I want to end the mindset that got us there in the first place,” he said.

The most serious disagreement between the two came over immigration, and in particular granting drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants.

The issue is seen as politically toxic, but Obama has backed the idea, while Clinton has appeared to waver in recent months. It is particularly important to Latino voters, a key constituency in California, where they make up almost a quarter of the vote.