(CNN)In the final Democratic primary debate before voting begins in Iowa, two candidates separated themselves from the field. Unfortunately for one of them, they landed at the bottom of the pack.
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Pete Buttigieg
Buttigieg was in a great spot to have his strongest debate yet. He focused the Midwestern setting into a theme: progressive pragmatism at its best. Buttigieg's content and presentation easily made him the best debater Tuesday night.

He saved his finest arguments for the most important topics. In competitive debate circles, we call those topics "voting issues," and that's where Buttigieg was sweet. On trade deals, Buttigieg reminded the Midwestern voters that the pie was not getting to the people where he lived. He was clearer and more focused with his health care plan than he has been in previous debates, spelling out two moves — negotiating prescription drug prices and rolling back President Trump's tax cuts. To close the theme, Buttigieg, the former two-term mayor of South Bend, Indiana, reminded us that the burden of spending taxpayer dollars always requires a choice and he chose wisely by arguing against free college for the wealthy.
Finally, Buttigieg crushed it in a flurry of fantastic arguments toward the end, acing the final question about electability. Buttigieg confidently stated that Trump can't stand next to a war vet and explain his bone spurs excuse — and that Trump and Republicans can't use Christianity to recruit voters because Buttigieg's faith is also strong.