Democratic debate as it happened: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders battle in the first TV debate

And that's a wrap. Thanks for joining tonight for the very first Democratic presidential debate.

Final talking time for each candidate:

• Clinton: 31:05
• Sanders: 28:05
• O'Malley: 17:56
• Webb: 15:35
• Chafee: 9:11

While Sanders and Clinton proved why there are leading the Democratic race, O'Malley has shown why he should not be discounted.

The Democratic debate is closing out with closing statements by the five candidates. O'Malley hits back at the GOP's two previous debate, saying the Democratic candidates did not offend women or minorities.

The candidates were each asked who their proudest enemies are. They responded:

• Chafee: The coal lobbyists
• O'Malley: The NRA
• Clinton: The GOP
• Sanders: Wall St, Pharma
• Webb: An enemy soldier

On marijuana legalisation, Sanders turns the issue into one of mass incarceration of non-violent drug offenders.

Clinton says Carly Fiorina's response to paid maternity leave is a typical Republican scare tactic. "They don't mind having big government interfere with a woman's right to choose," Clinton added.

Clinton says she does not know what is more of an outlier than being elected the first woman president in the US when asked why a Clinton or a Bush should not be elected.

Unlike her fellow Democratic candidates, Clinton has used the debate not to distance herself from President Obama but to align herself to his positions and "go further".

All the candidates appear to be in agreement that Edward Snowden broke the law in revealing the extent of the NSA. Sanders, however, added, "What he did in educating us should be taken into consideration."

O'Malley says he will go further by advocating comprehensive immigration reform and providing Obamacare to undocumented immigrants.

Clinton makes sure to note that the Democratic candidates are much more open to undocumented immigrants and passing comprehensive immigration reform than their Republican counterparts.

The candidates first discuss Sanders's college affordability plan before moving on to immigration.

Chafee fumbles when asked about his vote on Glass-Steagall. Blames his vote on his father's passing and his first time in Congress.

Sanders takes the mic next on the economy. Much like his campaign rallies, he says that Republicans have "amnesia" on what the US economy was like before President Barack Obama assumed office.

Do black lives matter or do all lives matter?

• Sanders: Black lives matter
• O'Malley: Black lives matter
• Webb: All lives matter

Clinton says that there needs to be reform in the justice system and policing. She says this "might be the only bipartisan issue" in Congress.

O'Malley takes a dig at the DNC, saying that the candidates are happy to finally be discussing the issues other than Clinton's email scandal.

Next up: Clinton's email scandal.

According to PBS News Hour, this is the talking time for each candidate before the first commercial break:

• Sanders: 12:29
• Clinton: 11:37
• O'Malley: 8:29
• Webb: 7:59
• Chafee: 4:45

Trump is not the only Republican candidate tuning in to the Democratic debate.

Biggest national threat, according to the candidates:

Chafee: Situation in the Middle East

O'Malley: A nuclear in Iran

Clinton: Nuclear weapons.

Sanders: Climate change.

Webb: China and cyber warfare.

The candidates are asked if Sanders can be a credible Commander in Chief after applying as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. Sanders says he objected the war, but not the soldiers who fought during the war. Adds that he is not a pacifist.

Clinton defends the response from the US in Libya, specifically in Benghazi. The former secretary of state has been the focus of an ongoing scandal regarding her response to the 11 September attack in Benghazi.

Jim Webb is finally allowed to discuss after saying he's waited for "10 minutes" to jump into the conversation. Sanders falters for a few minutes after being asked to respond to Webb's comments.

Chafee attacks Clinton's judgement regarding the war in Iraq. Clinton retorts that President Obama trusted her judgement enough to ask her to be a secretary of state.

On Syria, Clinton says the US needs to stand up to Putin's Russia and take more of a leadership position in the war-torn country.

Sanders, on the other hand, says he does not want to put boots on the ground in Syria. He instead argues the US should form a coalition with Arab countries.

Next topic is gun control.

Sanders is questioned on his differing views on gun control. When asked if he's tough on gun control, Clinton quickly answers, "No!" Sanders argues that guns should be not be in the hands of those that should not have guns. He adds he supports background checks and work in mental health.

O'Malley says that he is the only candidate who has managed to pass gun control as governor of Maryland. Meanwhile, Sanders continues to maintain that the situation between urban and rural states is different.

Chafee, who has an F rating from the National Rifle Association, says legislators need to bring in gun lobbyists to find "common ground".

Webb is asked about his aversion to Affirmative Action, to which he responds he supports it but only for African Americans.

Next up is Martin O'Malley, who previously served as mayor of Baltimore. He's asked why voters should trust him given the unrest in Baltimore. He argues that he was tough on crime during his tenure as mayor.

Chafee is asked whether Democratic voters should trust him, after he's changed political parties from Republican to independent to Democrat. He retorts that he has never changed his position on the issues, even if he's changed his political party.

Sanders is up next. Cooper asks the senator: "How can any kind of socialist candidate like Sanders win a general election in this country?"

Sanders says that he wants people to know what exactly a Democratic socialist is and he is confident that he will win. He also says he does not consider himself to be a capitalist. Clinton hits back by saying that when she thinks of capitalism, she thinks of the small businesses established in the US.

Clinton is asked by Cooper if she changes her views based on who she's speaking with and in order to get elected. Clinton categorically denies that she'll say anything to get elected and says her stances can change based on new information. She also declares herself a progressive, but says she wants to get things done.

Cooper explains that each candidate has 1 minute to answer questions and 30 seconds for rebuttals. Each candidate now has 2 minutes to introduced him or herself. This will prove crucial for all candidates, especially Chafee, Webb and O'Malley, who are polling dangerously low.

Chafee, the first to introduce himself, takes a quick shot at Clinton by saying he has not had any scandals and that he has "high ethical standards".

Webb, the former senator from Virginia, is the next up. The largely unknown candidate discusses his previous military service, his marriage to refugee Hong Le Webb and his five children.

O'Malley, the former governor of Maryland, takes the mic next. While he applauds Barack Obama for his work on reducing unemployment, O'Malley says more needs to be done for the disappearing middle class.

Sanders, Vermont's senator, is up next and he begins his introduction by attacking Citizens United and big money in the election. "Climate change is real," Sanders continues. The 74-year-old candidate is making sure to touch on all of his talking points from his campaign rallies.

Last, but certainly not least, is Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. The former secretary of state brings up her grandchild, 1-year-old Charlotte. She says she'll invest in science and research to tackle climate change and improve the economy. Clinton also tackles the tax loop holes and tax cuts for the middle class. She is the first and only candidate to discuss equal rights and pay for women.

The five candidates take to the stage, with Clinton and Sanders garnering the loudest from the crowd. The bottom three candidates, Chafee, Webb and O'Malley will attempt to use this debate to rise in the polls, where they have fared poorly. A recent CNN/ORC poll revealed the three polled under 30% in familiarity and scored net favourable scores near zero among Democratic voters.

We're minutes away from the start of the first Democratic presidential debate in the 2016 election cycle. The debate will be live streamed by CNN starting at 9pm EST (2am GMT) from Las Vegas, Nevada. Be sure to follow along with IBTimes UK's live blog.